The Cherry Avenue community in San José provides 132 beds for individuals experiencing street homelessness. Developed in partnership with the City of San José, this vibrant campus offers residents a safe place to stabilize, access services, and begin building a path toward long-term housing.
Located on land donated by Valley Water at 5205 Cherry Avenue, this new interim housing community serves 135 residents in a thoughtfully designed tiny home village. Each private unit offers residents a safe place to rest, store belongings, and begin stabilizing from street homelessness.
The site includes sleeping units, shared bathrooms and showers, laundry, and a community room for programming, meals, and resident gatherings. Administrative spaces on-site allow case managers and service teams from HomeFirst to meet regularly with residents, helping them access the supports they need to move forward.
HomeFirst will provide services onsite, creating a safe and dignified community for residents. HomeFirst is a nonprofit organization with over 45 years of experience serving the Bay Area community through low-barrier programming and systems leadership – meeting each person where they are by offering support and resources that address immediate and long-term housing needs.
Services include:
Personalized case management
Mental health counseling and wellness support
Job training and employment assistance
Permanent housing navigation and placement assistance
The Cherry Avenue community is a true example of cross-sector collaboration. Built on land provided by the Santa Clara Valley Water District, the project was developed by DignityMoves in partnership with the City of San Jose and supported by HomeFirst, which will operate the program and deliver on-site services.
Funding for the site reflects a broad coalition of support: $9 million in state funds redirected from a San Diego project, $1 million in philanthropic support from John Sobrato, and significant contributions from Good Samaritan Hospital, Connie and Bob Lurie, Legacy Partners, Joe Stockwell, and two anonymous donors.
This public-private partnership dramatically reduced the cost to San Jose taxpayers, demonstrating how aligned leadership and community generosity can create urgently needed housing at scale.
Under Mayor Matt Mahan’s visionary leadership and with the support of the City Council, San José has already seen a remarkable reduction in the number of unsheltered homeless individuals. The City recently released Point-in-Time Count data showing a 22% decrease in street homelessness since 2019, attributed to the city’s successful focus on scaling interim housing solutions as part of the housing continuum.
San José is now on track to reaching Functional Zero Unsheltered, and, more significantly, to break the cycle by providing the necessary support for individuals to resolve their homelessness permanently, establishing a model that can inspire communities nationwide.
If you or someone you know is currently experiencing homelessness in San Jose and would like to be put on the waitlist for housing in our community, please call the Here4You hotline at 408-385-2400. DignityMoves does not manage referrals for this community.