San Jose family calls for better homelessness solutions after loved one’s passing
Wednesday, February 26, 2025
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SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) — In an attempt to Build a Better Bay Area, City of San Jose leaders push for faster, cost-effective solutions to solve the homelessness crisis.
But a family says these quick fixes are not only not working, but can end up deadly.
With the smell of smoke still in the air near the site of a charred fence, Rosemarie Molina placed down a bright reminder of her father at the exact spot he lost his life.
“I just want one more day with my dad,” Molina said. “I feel like my children were robbed of him.”
Through tears and smiles, Molina remembered her father, Rafael “Ralph” Molina.
He was former reserve San Jose police officer and a man she described as giving, generous and the hardest working person she knew.
But his struggles with mental health and addiction left him to live out his final years on the streets of San Jose.
“It’s a disease and it’s something that he couldn’t help and it’s no one’s fault,” Molina said. “My dad had a family. You never know what people are going through.”
City crews recently swept Molina’s tent, forcing him to leave without any of his belongings – including his portable heaters.
He moved and rebuilt, but he had to use a fire to stay warm on the cold nights.
Molina died from smoke inhalation.
“I do believe that moving his encampment contributed to the factors why he died that night,” Molina said.
“My brother was a good guy,” Jose Zarate said. “He didn’t bother anybody. He didn’t steal, he didn’t hurt anybody, he was just a good guy. It’s unfortunate that he passed.”
Through his tragedy, Molina’s family hopes help can follow.
The City of San Jose touts faster solutions as the way to end suffering and prevent deaths.
Molina’s daughter doesn’t see it that way.
She said her father tried to move into interim housing, but he wasn’t a fit for some and others had no vacancy.
She plans to use her experience to advocate for better solutions.
“You can’t tell me that this county, the richest county in the country, doesn’t have the resources to figure this out,” Molina said. “Until there are more houses and beds for every person on the street, we need to stop moving the encampments. They told the city that someone was going to die and unfortunately that person was my father.”
A GoFundMe page was created to give Molina a proper service – a way to honor a man who meant so much to his family and his city.