“The Jungle” may be a far cry from when San Jose cleared the notorious encampment a dozen years ago, but it still contains the remnants of so much despair.
Back then, the large encampment, littered with tarps, tents, shopping carts, makeshift structures, trash, and human waste, was home to more than 300 residents, tucked away in the foliage and sprawled across the 68-acre-plus site near Senter and Story Roads, known more formally as Coyote Meadows.
The progress following the clearing was short-lived, as some unhoused residents returned, despite the threat of periodic abatements. Today, San Jose estimates that nearly 100 people still inhabit the property, but by April 15, they will have to leave as the city takes another significant attempt to at disband the encampment and move the residents into one of the city’s newest tiny home shelters.
“Over the last three years, we’ve expanded shelter and interim housing faster than any other city on the West Coast,” Mayor Matt Mahan said in a news release announcing the abatement. “That work has allowed us to decommission our largest encampments so that we can restore public spaces for community use and connect people to the services they need to return to self-sufficiency.”
In the last 12 months, San Jose has added more than 1,200 beds to its shelter system — bringing its total to more than 2,000 — as it looks to move homeless residents off the streets and into more dignified living conditions.
The city also has a vested interest in keeping encampments away from its waterways, as they are estimated to be the source of 90% of their pollution. San Jose could face crippling fines if it runs afoul of its stormwater permit requirements, which require reducing trash entering waterways.
With its massive shelter investment, San Jose has ramped up encampment clearings and tried to reset expectations that unhoused residents cannot choose to camp on public streets or property when there is available shelter.
Last summer, the city’s operation at Columbus Park cleared the largest encampment in San Jose, but problems persisted despite some marked improvements.
To the city’s benefit, more than 250 people accepted some of its housing offers, including several dozen who traded their RVs in for $2,000. Columbus Park has also stayed clean as the city moves forward with its plans to revitalize the area and add sports amenities.
However, the displacement of those who initially refused led to new mini-encampments in other parts of the city, including one group of RVs bouncing from Kellanova’s property to a few different VTA-owned parking lots.
The clearing of Columbus Park also prompted several residents to file complaints against the city and its contractors for allegedly improperly disposing of their property.
Before the city begins clearing “The Jungle,” the City Council could approve changes on March 3 on its procedures for granting reasonable accommodations and handling personal property at encampments, providing more clarity on how the city manages items and storage requirements.
Homeless advocate Shaunn Cartwright said she believed the changes the city has outlined are still flawed, noting the city needs an easier way for residents to retrieve their belongings, and continue to demonstrate a lack of due process.
She was also skeptical about how receptive residents in the encampment would be to the city’s shelter offers, given some of the issues that arose from Columbus Park.
Over the next six weeks and more, City Manager Jennifer Maguire said outreach teams will be out in force offering shelter and services. The city has prioritized spaces at the Cerone Emergency Interim Housing site — completed in February and able to serve up to 200 residents in 162 units — for those impacted by the encampment sweep.
“Clearing Coyote Meadows is about balancing compassion with responsibility,” Maguire said. “Together, we are creating a San José for everyone — protecting public spaces and waterways, and strengthening the overall health, safety, and beauty of our city.”
Once the city completes the clearing, which is expected to take 30-60 days, it will create a no-encampment zone, similar to ones created around interim housing sites and other waterways.
During the last quarter of 2025, the city conducted 121 small abatements along with waterways and another 13 operations within the 10 no-encampment zones around interim housing sites.
Thus far, the city said proactive enforcement and early intervention have been effective in the long run in keeping areas clear.
“No-encampment zones are a successful tool in keeping the City’s most impacted areas clear of large encampments,” Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services spokesperson Amanda Rodriguez said. “While re-encampments do occur, they typically happen early in the establishment of the zone, are smaller in scale, and are addressed more quickly due to frequent monitoring by BeautifySJ staff and SJPD.”
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