Roughly 50 unhoused people have died countywide since 2019 with weather-related causes listed as factors, such as hyperthermia and hypothermia, a San Jose Spotlight review of county medical examiner data revealed. That number is likely an undercount, with more than 20 cases still pending a cause of death this year.
Outreach varies from the roughly 221 unhoused people in the West Valley, to the 6,200 unhoused residents in San Jose, to the nearly 10,000 unhoused people in the county identified in last year's point-in-time count, though county officials and advocates said the tally is often an undercount.
The cities and county rely on local advocates and nonprofit service providers, such as Abode Services, to provide resources and supplies to unhoused residents -- and to get the word out about cooling centers.
Todd Langton, executive director of homelessness nonprofit Agape Silicon Valley and founder of the Coalition for the Unhoused of Silicon Valley, said that's where the problem starts. He said the different outreach approaches create disorganization and a lack of communication that adds to advocates working in silos, which reduces effectiveness.
There are 22 designated cooling centers countywide, with three in San Jose in addition to libraries and lobbies in emergency shelters.
