San Jose officials have launched a second sweep of the sprawling encampment known as “The Jungle,” marking a renewed effort to clear one of the city’s most persistent homeless settlements. The operation, which began Wednesday, targets a newly designated “no-encampment” zone located along Senter and Story Roads, where dozens of residents are currently being relocated.
This latest action comes more than a decade after the site first gained notoriety as the city’s largest encampment. While the city previously cleared the area, officials acknowledge that the effort was temporary, with approximately one-third of the displaced population returning shortly after the initial abatement. To prevent a repeat of this cycle, the city is implementing a more aggressive enforcement strategy combined with a prioritized housing pipeline.
For the residents of The Jungle, the relocation is a jarring disruption of the only stability they have. Mony Young described the suddenness of the process, stating: “It’s going home and then taking a shower, going to bed, and then all of a sudden you are evicted and you have to leave right now.”
The city’s strategy now hinges on the establishment of a strictly patrolled zone to ensure the San Jose starts second sweep of ‘The Jungle’ encampment as residents relocate from no‑camp zone remains permanent. By designating the area as a no-encampment zone, the city can move to abate any new structures immediately upon discovery.
A Cycle of Displacement and Return
The history of the area along Senter and Story Roads is a microcosm of the broader struggle with homelessness in the Silicon Valley. In 2015, the site was the epicenter of the city’s unhoused crisis, hosting roughly 300 people living in elaborate, semi-permanent structures. That massive clearance was intended to be a turning point, but the underlying lack of permanent housing meant that many residents simply waited for the heat to die down before returning.
Advocates warn that these repeated sweeps do more than just move bodies; they dismantle the fragile social networks that provide survival support to the unhoused. Shaunn Cartwright, an advocate for the community, highlighted the psychological toll of these operations. “When these whole places gain moved as a community, they lose their community,” Cartwright said. “And everyone starts having problems with depression, anxiety and feeling alone.”
The current operation is expected to span approximately one month. Unlike previous efforts, the city is attempting to synchronize the sweep with immediate shelter placements to reduce the likelihood of residents returning to the streets.
Housing Logistics and Interim Shelter
To mitigate the impact of the sweep, the City of San Jose Housing Department is coordinating interim placements. According to city data, 109 individuals have already accepted shelter offers, with roughly 30 people already transitioned into various sites.
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The relocation plan focuses on a mix of dedicated facilities and leased commercial spaces to accommodate the volume of displaced residents.
| Site Type | Primary Location/Facility | Capacity/Status |
|---|---|---|
| Interim Site | Cerrone | Approximately 80 beds |
| Motel Program | Various City-operated motels | Remaining balance of accepted residents |
| General Status | City-wide interim sites | ~30 residents already moved |
Erik Soliván, the San Jose Director of Housing, noted that the Cerrone site serves as the primary hub for this operation, while the remainder of the 109 people who accepted help will be distributed among motels the city has operated over the past year.
Enforcement and the ‘No-Encampment’ Strategy
The city is shifting from a periodic “sweep” model to a continuous “maintenance” model. This involves the creation of specific zones where camping is prohibited and enforcement is immediate. This strategy is designed to break the pattern of re-encampment that followed the 2015 clearance.
Jon Cicirelli, the Director of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services, explained that the city has observed a specific pattern where people attempt to re-establish camps in the immediate aftermath of an abatement. “This time, this will be an actively patrolled area,” Cicirelli said. “And re-encampments in a no-encampment zone can be abated immediately.”
This approach reflects a broader trend in California cities attempting to balance the legal requirements of the U.S. Supreme Court’s evolving interpretations of the Eighth Amendment regarding homelessness and the local need for public space maintenance.
The Broader Impact on San Jose’s Unhoused
The Jungle is not the only site facing pressure. The city has seen similar tensions in areas like Columbus Park and other RV encampments, where residents are often displaced to make room for urban development, including corporate data centers. This creates a “domino effect” where residents from one cleared site migrate to another, often increasing the density of remaining encampments like The Jungle.
The success of this second sweep will likely be measured not by how quickly the tents are removed, but by how many of the 109 people who accepted shelter remain in stable housing six months from now. Without a permanent solution to the housing shortage, advocates argue that “no-encampment zones” simply push the problem to a different street corner.
The city’s current operation is scheduled to continue for the next few weeks. The next critical checkpoint will be the city’s internal review of shelter occupancy and the effectiveness of the patrol strategy once the initial month-long sweep is completed.
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