SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) — Each school year, thousands of San Jose State students experience homelessness.
In an effort to address student homelessness, SJSU students and faculty formed the Student Homeless Alliance (SHA) in 1992.
In Jan. 2020, the alliance signed an agreement with the university on the following five recommendations aimed to address student housing insecurity.
- Recommendation 1: Establish an advisory board for basic needs.
- Recommendation 2: Enhance SJSU Cares Program.
- Recommendation 3: Broaden communications and marketing plan for SJSU Cares.
- Recommendation 4: Pilot an emergency beds program funded by the county.
- Recommendation 5: Address the remaining issues in the originally proposed recommendations.
On Thursday, the SHA will hold a press conference to give an update of the agreement.
The alliance says most of what was agreed to between the students, President Mary Papazian and her administration has not been implemented.
“Over the past month, SHA has been in discussion with the University about the below six demands. SHA is pleased to announce that the University has responded to one of SHA’s demands, and has finally opened up the centralized location for SJSU CARES this past week, something that was supposed to happen in April, 2020 according to the SJSU-SHA Agreement,” reads a press release.
A recent 2021 study found that 11% of the SJSU student body or approximately 4,000 students experience homelessness.
SHA is urging the university to fully implement the SJSU-SJA agreement to help students who need assistance if faced with an emergency housing situation.
KRON4 News reported in September SJSU setting aside 12 beds on campus for students in need of housing, a program that was supposed to be open in the fall of last year but was delayed due to COVID-19.