NAMED NATIONAL FOUR-YEAR DAILY NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR FOR 2020-21 IN THE COLLEGE MEDIA ASSOCIATION’S PINNACLE AWARDS
Thursday, April 28, 2022
Volume 158 No. 37
ASSOCIATED STUDENTS
SJSU, Bill Wilson Center collaborate
By Hailey Fargo STAFF WRITER
The Associated Students Board of Directors met Wednesday to discuss the continuation of a joint program with SJSU Cares and the Bill Wilson Center Rapid Rehousing Program. Currently enrolled students “living in an unsafe environment and have nowhere else to go may be eligible for the Rapid Rehousing by completing a request for assistance form, according to the SJSU Cares website. SJSU Cares is San Jose State’s basic needs program, which assists students by providing direct support to those in need of food, housing, and emergency assistance, according to its website. Denver Velasquez, housing specialist for the Rapid Rehousing Program said the program aims to help individuals avoid homelesssness and find permanent housing. “In many cases, we need to find a place where the student can move into long-term and during that period if the student does not have a place to stay then we provide temporary housing,” Velasquez said. He said students are involved in the housing search, and are given the opportunity to attend housing tours. “They’re very empowered throughout the housing search to make sure that whatever the student is placed in is really the best choice for that student,” he said. He added that the program has been “welcomed” by the Student Homeless Alliance (SHA), a studentled organization focused on assisting the homeless student population on campus. SHA held several demonstrations over the past few years calling for SJSU to take better action in helping homeless students, including a protest and press conference
EVAN REINHARDT | SPARTAN DAILY
Associated Students Controller Maritza Molina (left) sits next to Vice President Nina Chuang while leading the discussion with other A.S. board members during their meeting Wednesday in the Student Union. Board directors talked about a joint housing aid program.
on April 20, according to past Spartan Daily reporting. During the press conference, SHA members said A.S. gave $94,860 to fund the Fall 2021 semester on-campus emergency beds, according to the same Spartan Daily reporting. According to the SJSU Cares Fall 2021 mid-year report, 11.2% of SJSU students have experienced homelessness at least once within the year. Additionally, 12 out of the 213 students who requested emergency housing assistance received emergency housing, according to the same report. Velasquez said he reached out to SHA through social media to share “important information” that should be available to students about the program.
“We exchanged information and also some potential ways to collaborate in getting the word out to other students,” Velasquez said. Anthony Majano, SHA president and sociology junior said he hopes the university continues its relationship with the Bill Wilson Center, but hopes the Rapid Rehousing Program and other partnerships will receive more attention and funding. “I love the fact that the school does have that connection and relationship with the Bill Wilson Center and their Rapid Rehousing Program,” he said in a phone call. “We know that there has been a good amount of students who have been housed or at least taken care of by the Rapid Rehousing Program.” However, Majano said SHA has asked the university to improve
its advertisement of SJSU Cares and the Rapid Rehousing Program, which he said is advertised even less. “One of the main issues was a lack of advertising for SJSU Cares and that does extend towards the Rapid Rehousing program as well – it’s even lesser known by students,” he said. “I believe that there can be a lot to be done in terms of getting awareness for that resource because it is helpful.” During the meeting, A.S. President Anoop Kaur expressed a similar concern regarding the program’s visibility. “I had a question for you all in regards to awareness, so something that SHA has mentioned is possibly collaborating with professors in classes and including this information in syllabi,” she asked.
“Have you given any thought to bettering communication in the classroom regarding improvements?” Velasquez responded saying the program is currently working on improving its awareness to students. “We are really trying to take advantage of all resources available to spread word about the program, so the classes with the professors, the student events and meetings and the other ways to interact with students,” he said.
Madilynne Medina contributed to this article.
Follow Hailey on Twitter @haileyfargo
MULTIMEDIA
REPORTING & PRODUCTION BY EVAN REINHARDT | SPARTAN DAILY
Justin Firmeza, San Jose State jazz studies sophomore, often plays his Hawaiian steel guitar on the university campus for passers-by. Firmeza said he started playing for the SJSU community once the campus repopulated in 2021, which was when the coronavirus pandemic eased and some in-person instruction returned. He said he
began to use playing as a way to pass time between classes and fit in some practice. Along with the guitar, Firmeza plays piano in the SJSU jazz studies program. Campus community members can find him playing on Seventh Street Plaza or by Tower Lawn, where he accepts tips for song requests.