Guest opinion: Opportunity to constructively address our housing crisis

The current lawsuit by the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, the ACLU, and Disability Rights Advocates challenges the city’s ordinances restricting parking of oversized vehicles on most Mountain View streets. This legal action provides the city with an opportunity to constructively address our housing crisis.

I know the homeless population in Santa Clara County well: I conducted one of the largest peer-reviewed medical studies of the homeless in 1988 and have continued to be actively involved with their medical care and food provisions, most recently through MayView Clinics and Hope’s Corner.

Mountain View’s “homeless” population consists of multiple subgroups, each with different needs. The easiest distinction is among those who are:

1) unsheltered, including the chronically homeless,

2) living in a car or van,

3) living in an RV on the streets, or

4) living in an RV in a safe parking lot.

These diverse groups include those who have lost their homes because of skyrocketing rents, families with school-aged children, veterans, seniors living on Social Security, adults who need family support or advanced medical care, and low-income people – with or without a job. Common to them all is that they call Mountain View home.

I have long appreciated the work that Mountain View has done to help our unsheltered residents, such as Project Homekey and the RV safe parking lots. Both programs seek to transition residents to more stable housing. All too often the disappointing and costly outcome only transitions people to their next provisional housing. Even if many of these residents “graduate” to more permanent local living arrangements, there will be a need for Project Homekey and safe parking lots until we are able to substantially increase the supply of affordable housing and reduce the jobs-housing imbalance. As rents rise, demolitions occur, and essential workers and other contributing members of Mountain View are left out of the economic recovery, many more people will become impoverished.

Project Homekey: This innovative program is best suited for those who are on the streets or living in their cars or vans. Project Homekey is considered transitional housing, with the expectation that people will need to find another new home in three months, though extensions up to five months may be given. Case workers connect people to benefits and social services and try to help them find jobs and stable, permanent housing. Unfortunately, this often means people must leave the area. For some, such as the unemployable, disabled, or workers whose employment is in Mountain View, this is a greater challenge. These residents should be allowed to stay at Project Homekey until permanent affordable housing options materialize.

RV safe parking lots: These lots have been a success for those in RVs who need to be close to their jobs, family support, medical care, and/or school. The residents have a private, quiet place to sleep, a refrigerator and stove for cooking, a place for their belongings, and a space to study if they are a student. These lots are full, and there will be much more demand with the implementation of Measure C. If those in the safe parking lots are asked to leave, will they be guaranteed placement in a new facility or longer-term affordable housing? It has been suggested that some of these residents move to Project Homekey. This would mean giving up their home. What would happen to their belongings, and for those who own their RVs, what would happen to their primary housing asset? The safe parking lots should not be seen as transitional for all, but as a home on a longer-term basis for those most in need.

The city should expand the Shoreline safe parking lot. Additional spaces could be added to the city-owned property adjacent to the existing safe parking lot. The restrooms and waste disposal are in place, and case managers and medical vans provide support and care. The plans to use this adjacent space to store Project Homekey residents’ cars and then provide a shuttle to Homekey is expensive and impractical.

If indeed, as ordinance proponents argued, that Measure C is not a “ban,” then the city should provide a map that shows where RVs can legally park on city streets, rather than only signs showing where they cannot park.

Most of us in Mountain View support the long-term goal of permanent affordable housing. While we as a city have invested heavily in the future stock of reasonably priced housing, it will take many years to reach the point to where there is enough. In the meantime, the city should not merely transition people to temporary housing and then require them to leave when they cannot find affordable longer-term housing.  Project Homekey works well for those living on the streets or in their cars. But without available and affordable housing they should be allowed to stay longer when circumstances call for it. The same is true for those in safe parking lots. The most vulnerable should be allowed to stay longer when no suitable housing is available. Finally, the Shoreline safe parking lot should be expanded immediately to provide more spaces, especially given the pending implementation of Measure C.

Marilyn Winkleby has been a Mountain View homeowner for 33 years. She is professor of medicine emerita at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, a member of the Hope’s Corner Board of Directors and a former Ravenswood/MayView Community Clinics board member.

The Voice publishes guest opinions, editorials and letters to the editor online on a regular basis. Submit signed op-eds of no more than 750 words or letters to the editor of up to 350 words to letters@mv-voice.com.

The Voice publishes guest opinions, editorials and letters to the editor online on a regular basis. Submit signed op-eds of no more than 750 words or letters to the editor of up to 350 words to letters@mv-voice.com.

The Voice publishes guest opinions, editorials and letters to the editor online on a regular basis. Submit signed op-eds of no more than 750 words or letters to the editor of up to 350 words to letters@mv-voice.com.