SEARCHING FOR ACCOUNTABILITY

Citizens hold prayer rally to ask company to act responsibly as it plans to build its campus near Diridon transit station

“We have a horrible housing crisis right now and no one wants to take responsibility for it.”

— Sandy Perry, president of the housing network and a CHAM minister

SAN JOSE » Google’s planned downtown campus threatens to worsen San Jose’s housing crisis and homelessness, but it gives the company a chance to strike a blow against both, said participants in a prayer rally on Thursday.

“Google, we pray for you,” minister Scott Wagers said as about 15 people held hands at an intersection in the development zone. “Open your eyes and see the opportunity. You can end homelessness.”

Google is working with the city of San Jose on plans to build a campus around the Diridon transit station, with up to 20,000 workers and six to eight million square feet of space.

Thursday’s noon-hour rally, called “Welcome to Googleville” to recall the Great Depression’s “Hooverville” homeless camps, was organized by the Affordable Housing Network of Santa Clara County and CHAM Deliverance Ministry, a San Jose group dedicated to helping homeless people.

The groups want the city government to use its leverage “to hold Google accountable to doing no harm,” said Sandy Perry, president of the housing network and a CHAM minister.

An influx of thousands of Google employees into San Jose residences would lead to displacement of people making lower wages, Perry said.

“We have a horrible housing crisis right now and no one wants to take responsibility for it,”

Perry said.

San Jose should require Google to pay for 20,000 units of affordable housing in the city, Perry said. “If they want to be part of this community they have a responsibility,” Perry said.

San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said the city had only just started negotiating with Google over potential sale of land.

“I look forward to having very public discussions in the months ahead about how we as a community can work with Google to address critical needs, such as affordable housing,” Liccardo said.

In the meantime, suggested Robert Aguirre, a recently homeless member of CHAM, Google and the city should create officially sanctioned homeless encampments on land the firm’s development partner has bought.

Google declined to comment specifically on what the rally leaders and participants want the company to do.

“We’re excited to have the support of the San Jose city council as we evaluate our options at Diridon Station,” a Google spokeswoman said.

ANDA CHU — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Pastor Scott Wagers with CHAM Deliverance Ministry speaks during a rally and prayer vigil in San Jose on Thursday.

Mercy Chan is currently living on the streets. She attended a rally Thursday aimed to put pressure on the city to require affordable housing be built to offset the impacts of the Google Diridon project.