Encampment Management Program | City of San José

Our Encampment Management Program addresses:

Encampment Trash Pickup: Proactive weekly trash service to approximately 185-200 active encampments and a Cash for Trash program.

Inter-Agency Coordination: Works with different agencies who own land in San José and coordinates trash/blight removal activities on their property.

Encampment Clean-ups: Removes trash/debris and scales down the size of an encampment, enrolls unhoused residents in trash program, and allows residents to stay at encampment if they cooperate with the Good Neighbor Rules.

Encampment Abatement: Removal of homeless encampments and people that are in setback areas such as within 150 ft. of schools, blocked streets, sidewalks, trails or present serious health and/or safety conditions based on a risk assessment.

Setback locations & conditions	Definition
School Buffer Zone	Tents, built structures, or other belonging that are erected or stored within 150’ of an elementary, middle, or high school.
Blocking Public Right-of-Way	Sidewalks Streets Trails Medians Permitted events at City facilities City facility (park restroom, playground, community center, library, fire station)
Health and Safety Concern	Fire danger Vehicle/Pedestrian Danger Unauthorized access to electrical Potential for drowning Significant unsanitary conditions Severe vector control issue Adjacent to Residential Fencing/Wall
Obstruction to Critical Infrastructure	Infrastructure Degradation Public Operations and Maintenance Construction project (on land or waterways) Hospitals/Trauma Centers (150’ feet)

The BeautifySJ Encampment Management Program uses an encampment intake form to gather information about reported encampments in San José and assess them to determine appropriate actions.

Report an Encampment

Weekly Trash Services

Weekly Trash Service

The global pandemic of 2020 highlighted a need throughout the unhoused community. That is a trash service for some of our most vulnerable populations throughout our camps.

Every week, recognized encampments are visited by Encampment Management Teams that educate, engage, and collect trash at homeless encampments. This effort is a part of the City of San José’s blight reduction strategy.

Trash Service Map

Cash for Trash

Launched in November 2020, the Cash for Trash Program helps battle blight in San José by incentivizing unhoused residents to pick up trash at encampments in exchange for programmable and reloadable cards from Mastercard. Since its inception, over 200 unhoused residents participate in Cash for Trash, removing over 30 tons of trash in 22 locations in exchange for pre-loaded fee-free MasterCard debit cards for up to $40 a week.

RV Pollution Prevention

RV Pollution Prevention Program (RVP3)

The RV Pollution Prevention Program (RVP3) launched as a pilot in FY 23-24 and became a full program in FY 24-25. RVP3 provides essential sanitary services to residents living in RVs, ensuring that waste is properly managed and disposed of. By offering these services, the program helps prevent the spread of contaminants, protects local waterways, and contributes to a cleaner and healthier environment for the entire community.

Interagency Work

The BeautifySJ Interagency Team is responsible for coordinating contracts and services to maintain clean waterways, highways and neighborhoods with interagency partners.

Inter-agency coordination through BeautifySJ is aimed at keeping San José clean by providing cross-jurisdictional coordination around trash/blight activities, and ensuring good communication with and response from external partners such as Caltrans, Union Pacific, Valley Water, Santa Clara County and PGE, to ensure that general trash pickup, graffiti removal, prioritized abatements, and encampment trash pickup services occur.

Abatement & Escalated Cleanups

This page was last updated on October 23, 2024. For more information, please email beautifysj@sanjoseca.gov.

During abatements, the City of San José will remove all items and materials remaining in the area, including items left within sight of the current encampment area and/or waterway. Personal property* collected will be stored at a City facility for 90 days unless it’s perishable, dirty or soiled, contaminated, hazardous or explosive, disassembled or broken items (including electronic parts stripped for copper, bike parts, pallets, or wood or other metal parts), weapons, obvious trash, or items that present an immediate health or safety hazard.

There are no abatements (i.e., people are not being moved) during escalated cleanups.

The City of San José conducts escalated cleanups when sites contain abandoned, burnt, broken or disassembled items, substantial amounts of trash and large items, or hazardous or flammable material that poses an immediate health or safety hazard. During an escalated cleanup, BeautifySJ staff removes all items and materials outside of organized living spaces (approximately 12' x 12' per space).

	Abatement
	Escalated Cleanup (no abatement during cleanup)

For More Information:

media resources	description
October 3, 2024 Memorandum	Consolidated Annual Homelessness Report and Implementation Plan Update
May 15, 2023 Memorandum	Valley Water Coyote Creek Flood Management Project
August 30, 2023 Memorandum	Approaches to Managing the Homelessness Crisis in Encampments and Other Locations - Clarifying Protocols
December 2, 2022 Memorandum	Guadalupe Gardens Actions Update Final Report
November 28, 2022 Memorandum	Recreational Vehicle Biowaste Pollution Prevention Program
June 21, 2022 Memorandum	Guadalupe Gardens Encampment Work Plan
May 3, 2022 Memorandum	City Roadmap - Encampment Management and Safe Relocation Policy
January 27, 2022 Memorandum	Guadalupe Gardens Fencing & Activation Alternatives
October 26, 2021 Memorandum	Status Report on Encampment Management Strategy and Safe Relocation Policy
March 18, 2021 Memorandum	Supporting Public Health and Safety at Encampments
December 4, 2020 City Council Meeting	Study Session: BeautifySJ - Programs and Strategies to Address Trash, Debris and Blight Across the City