Twenty community groups have signed an open letter to Santa Clara County and the city of San Jose demanding more be done to assist the unhoused population. The groups say the Here4You hotline isn’t connecting unhoused residents with services efficiently. They also want an end to encampment swee ps until there is adequate housing available, clearer communication on resources, as well as additional therapists and case managers. “You can’t move on to an apartment or anything if there’s not a case manager for you, and you can’t get mental health services if there’s no therapy,” Unhoused Response Group founder Shaunn Cartwright said. Separately, the groups claim that, according to the coroner’s website, the county is on pace to match last year’s homeless population death toll, saying 99 people have already died on the streets this year. Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors President Otto Lee said he’d like to prioritize more short-term housing right away. “That’s 99 people living in our community that could not survive, and that shows that our system is falling short,” he said. Matching last year’s homeless death rate would still mean a lower total than previous years. ...read more read less