A 68-acre shantytown just next door to the fabulous offices and homes of Silicon Valley is being dismantled Thursday. Known as The Jungle, it was seen as an ugly symbol of the San Jose-area homeless crisis. The city and surrounding county have an estimated 7,600 homeless people—more than the homeless population of San Francisco. About 75 percent of them were sleeping outside, a higher percentage than any metropolitan area in the country. The median home price in the San Jose region is nearly $700,000. Since its decision to close The Jungle, San Jose has worked to find the camp’s inhabitants a new home.
