The average price for a one-bedroom apartment in San Jose, one of the most expensive places in the U.S., is $1,629.
In an area that has become synonymous with billion-dollar tech companies, with houses on the hills and more millionaires per capita than any other U.S. city, San Jose has become less and less affordable for the people who maintain the city .
The rising cost of housing and the lack of resources available to residents has been making it difficult to find and maintain a liveable place to call home.
Some of the people highlighted in this issue have gone to extraordinary lengths to keep their basic needs in tact and some are simply living without them met.
Another distinction, apart from direct quotes, we have decided to retire the use of the word “homeless” to refer to unhoused or houseless people. The word “homeless” carries derogatory connotations and as the houseless crisis deepens, the words used to describe unhoused people are critical.
Words matter. The way we speak, read and write about houseless people has to change. The world has a negative idea of houseless people and their experiences. This dehumanizes them completely, and language has a role in shaping our perceptions of people going through unimaginable struggles.
As we continue to navigate the housing crisis, this also means looking at the effects as to why living costs have risen.
Families, students, professors and other community members have been feeling the rippling effects of increased cost of housing, whether it be at the grocery store or at the gas pump.
The institutions that are supposed to provide the safety net for people down on their luck have not been taking responsibility.
Even so, there are still people within the SJSU community who have made it their mission to bring resources to those who need it most. Even with little funding or assets, organizations on campus have created opportunities to house students and residents who are dealing with the housing crisis at hand.
This issue illuminates some of the realities of houselessness and being basic-needs insecure.
We hope these stories raise awareness toward this crisis and are a form of support for those in need.
