SAN JOSE -- Talking to a man who could lose his apartment and wind up homeless in a city of soaring rents where the median home price has hit $1 million, Ray Bramson understands the frustration and despair.
He's been there.
At six years old, Bramson lived inside a tent in Hawaii for several weeks after his father's job as a photographer ended. He remembers a childhood that at times was like "an extended camping trip."
"We went from having a house to moving around and camping and having all our belongings with us in a car," Bramson, 35, said. "I was a little boy when it happened, but I know how quickly people's situations can change."
As someone who spent time on the streets, Bramson brings a profound understanding and a sense of urgency to his role as San Jose's homeless response manager, a job created to tackle one of the region's most intractable social problems.
Over the past year, Bramson's team of four has led an unprecedented push to end homelessness with a variety of new services and housing opportunities -- from recently approved temporary modular homes to converting old motels for the homeless to offering mobile showers and allowing churches to temporarily shelter the poor.
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