HomeMy WebLinkAbout02 09 2026 - Item 7.1 - Jan Bernstein CharginCAUTION: This email originated from an External Source. Please use proper judgment and caution when opening
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From:Jan Bernstein Chargin
To:All Council Members
Subject:EXTERNAL - Camp Hope
Date:Monday, February 9, 2026 5:11:31 PM
Agenda Item Title: Abatement of Sixth Street Temporary Encampment on
APN: 841-18-089
Meeting Date: February 9, 2026
The The Gilroy City Council,
First, I would like to thank you for taking the time to consider this matter. Obviously it is not
ideal to have 25 people living, even temporarily, in tents 100 feet from a bridge. It is not ideal,
but it is better than displacing these 25 people without providing an alternative for them.
When the anti-camping ordinance was passed in 2023, the impetus was a desire to keep
unhoused people away from parks and schools, as well as sensitive infrastructure.
Camp Hope is not near a park or a school, or in a residential neighborhood. It is not under the
bridge, and -- as a managed encampment -- it has rules that prohibit damage to nearby
infrastructure as a condition of staying there. This self-governing community has already
demonstrated an ability and willingness to be good neighbors. Since the first few days Camp
Hope has existed, there have been no complaints.
As a resident of the neighborhood located closest to Camp Hope I can tell you that I and my
neighbors have no complaints about the camp. In fact, I have heard many positive comments
about the sanitation facilities, the location, and the fact of its existence.
The question is not IF people are homeless in Gilroy, but WHERE, and not WHETHER they
will produce trash and waste, but whether or not the trash will be picked up and whether the
waste will go into port-a-potties or the groundwater.
If Camp Hope is swept, people will still be homeless, but instead of being away from parks,
schools, residences, and businesses, they will be dispersed to all of these locations, as well as
under bridges and along train tracks, increasing the population of unhoused people in those
areas and creating visibility in new areas.
On tonight's agenda you will be considering two options staff has laid out regarding Camp
Hope:
"1. Direct staff to proceed with immediate abatement of the encampment, affirming uniform
enforcement of Ordinance No. 2023-07, establishing Chapter 5 of the Gilroy City Code,
banning the use of certain areas of public right-of-way as sleeping or living accommodations;
OR
2. Adopt a resolution suspending enforcement of Gilroy City Code Chapter 5 for a period of
time not to exceed ninety (90) days, authorizing the City to continue to provide sanitation-
related services (portable restrooms and solid waste removal) to the temporary encampment
during the suspension and abating the said encampment after the suspension period."
To these options I would ask you to consider a third:
3. Amend City Code Chapter 5 to allow City Council to permit a managed encampment on a
parcel where camping is otherwise prohibited, at their discretion.
If the Gilroy City Council extends time for Camp Hope, I will personally commit to raising
funds to offset the port-a-potty expense. I am confident that this is fundable from sources other
than the City of Gilroy.
Many of the other costs noted will exist whether Camp Hope exists or not -- in fact they will
be higher if it does NOT exist. Abatement is not a one-time cost -- unless an alternate location
for people is identified BEFORE the sweep, abatement will lead to additional abatements and
calls for service throughout the city.
Trash will still exist, even if people have no way to get it picked up. Biological necessity
remains just that, whether or not people have access to port-a-potties. These costs will be felt
as an increase in debris around the city, an increase of human waste found in creeks, parks,
doorways, and other unsanitary locations, and increased community complaints that will have
to be addressed.
Then there is the matter of addressing homelessness itself. A number of the people at Camp
Hope have been "called" for housing by the Santa Clara County Office of Supportive
Housing. Another group is expected to be called this month. That means the clock is ticking
and they have a limited period of time to obtain documents, complete intake meetings, and
fulfill the requirements that will get them into permanent housing -- off the street for good. If
service providers lose touch with them during this time, if they lose their documents in a
sweep, or they are too busy looking for a safe spot to sleep to complete these requirements,
they lose the housing opportunity. This keeps them homeless LONGER.
The best way to reduce the number of unhoused people in Gilroy is to work with the County to
get them into permanent housing. Very little of this housing is located in Gilroy, but it is how
most of the unhoused people in Gilroy will get off the street. At the local level, we can
facilitate this by letting service providers and unhoused residents do what is required to access
these housing options as quickly as possible.
Extending Camp Hope, and amending City Code to allow City Council to extend it further, at
Council's discretion, is a practical decision supports Quality of Life for all Gilroy residents.
Thank you for your consideration,
Jan Bernstein Chargin
(408) 843-8691