SJ to expand Downtown Streets Team coverage to address blight, homelessness issues

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- Leaders in San Jose face two major problems: dirty streets filled with trash and debris, and a housing crisis that contributes to homelessness.

But there's hope that an expansion of the existing Downtown Streets Team program will help to solve both issues.

A clean business is a thriving business, something Francisco Quintero, owner of El Maza, knows all too well.

He's proud of his restaurant in the Luna Park District of Downtown San Jose.

But he's still dealing with bad reviews, due to the conditions along the street outside his front door.

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"Saying that it wasn't very safe to come here, that it was too dirty," Quintero said. "That's not a good sensation when you're putting all your money into your business for someone to come and criticize that or telling other people not to come to this area."

But now, Quintero says there's new hope thanks to help from the city.

San Jose is expanding their Downtown Streets Team coverage area to include the Luna business district, as well as the Alum Rock, East Santa Clara Street, Calle Willow and the East Village districts.

It's a team dedicated to beautifying San Jose, made up of members of the unhoused community.

"If it wasn't for us, all the debris, needles and all that stuff that we found - drug pipes and all that nasty stuff - it wouldn't be so good for children to even be in that environment," volunteer Mercy Wong said. "It was really horrible to see. But I'm really glad they have the Downtown Street Team to clean all that up."

In just a few hours in this area, the team cleaned up 10 bags of trash - it's just a fraction of the 7 million gallons of debris DST has cleared since 2011.

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But this is also only part of what this program offers volunteers.

"They are also working with our case manager and our employment specialist to just secure their path to self-sufficiency," Downtown Streets Team program manager Erika Laguna said. "And they're also doing the peer-to-peer outreach, which is so impactful when they work directly with the people who they will locate in the communities that we are working in."

That idea of self-sufficiency is key in addressing homelessness for Mayor Matt Mahan.

Getting people housed is important, but Mahan says keeping them housed starts with programs like this.

"When you think about how we're going to end homelessness, it has to be really rooted in the concept of empowerment," Mahan said. "How are we helping people turn their lives around?"

The hope is the Downtown Streets Team is one of those critical ways.