What if the solution to homelessness was no more shelters, but fewer evictions?
In the county of Santa Clara, a new model supported by technology and the data -based strategy discreetly redefine the way in which a community addresses the insecurity of housing. His method is simple: catch families before falling.
Working directly with the owners, a county program provides short -term cash assistance to tenants faced with expulsion. The approach is much more effective – and profitable – than many traditional programs.
Why we wrote this
While the housing crisis is spreading, the County of Santa Clara Pionnia a private public model. He keeps families in their own house instead of waiting for them to become homeless to help.
In San Jose, the average rent for a two -bedroom apartment is over $ 3,300 per month – I have well above the national average of $ 1,883. For low -income families who work here, the margin of error is slim like a razor. Housing instability can start with a missed pay check or an unexpected invoice.
Linda Nguyen knows how fast things can crash.
San Jose's mother directs her business offering emergency mental health services at home. When a mold infestation led to a serious health diagnosis last winter, it was forced to temporarily close. She and her 14 -year -old son spent nights in their car to escape toxic air inside their house.
Even after finding a safer house near her son's school, Ms. Nguyen had trouble following the rent. “It's ridiculous. I was doing six figures and still considered at low income, ”she recalls.
Then, the County homeless prevention system (HPS) intervened. In a few days, the program covered its deposit and the rent for the first month. The help came just in time.
“All you need is a disaster – whether it's mold in the house or your car breaks down,” said Ms. Nguyen, wiping tears. “There must be more resources for people like me who work.”
The data supports it. Loss of income is a main cause of roaming in California, according to a 2023 Study on a state scale From the University of California to the Benioff Homelessness and Housing initiative of San Francisco. Many Shareless Study said that a modest subsidy – as little as $ 300 per month – could have maintained them at home.
The County of Santa Clara takes this logic seriously. KJ Kaminski, acting director of the Comté support housing office, considers prevention as one of the most effective tools to tackle homelessness at his root.
“The more we can keep the homeless people, the better,” explains Ms. Kaminski. “Not only for our system and the cost for our community, but also for individuals and families who do not have to experience the trauma and the challenges that come under the shelter.”
Since the launch of the program as a pilot in 2017, Ms. Kaminski has seen her help thousands of households to fall into homelessness each year. “It can be a short-term intervention, but it has a long-term impact,” she adds.
In 2023, the Wilson Sheehan Lab for economic opportunities at the University of Notre Dame published a study On HPS. He found that the program prevented homelessness rather than simply delay it. Households receiving aid were 81% less likely to become homeless within six months and 73% less likely 12 months, according to the study.
“This type of temporary intervention allows people to show their resilience, to return to a situation of stability and allows them to be independent,” explains David Phillips, professor of research in economics in Notre-Dame who co-written the study.
Private capital, very public
HPS began as a public-private partnership in 2017 by destination: Home, a non-profit organization working to end the roaming in Silicon Valley.
“At the time in 2017, for each person we helped leave the streets, three became homeless,” explains Jennifer Loving, CEO of destination: Home. “We had no defense to prevent families from falling into homelessness.”
In 2018, Tech Titans Cisco and Apple each contributed $ 50 million to strengthen the non -profit support housing and innovation fund to extend affordable housing and improve HPS.
Depending on the destination: Home, by providing flexible and short -term support and case management without strict ceilings, more than 18,400 households – more than 33,000 people – have been stabilized since 2017. More than 90% stayed at their two years later.
Last year, the County of Santa Clara assumed monitoring of the HPS. Ms. Kaminski says they learned that it is “an effective model. It was logical to integrate [it] in the broader county system. »»
Despite its richness, Santa Clara is the county with the largest population without housing in the bay region with its largest city, San Jose, ranking seventh in the country for homelessness. And unlike common belief, most of its housing residents are not newcomers. Some 85% of those questioned 2023 Count-in-time point reported that they were residents of the county when they became homeless. And 54% had lived there for 10 years or more.
While roaming prevention programs exist in cities like Chicago and Seattle, the Santa Clara County model stands out for its use of private money and flexibility to offer emergency help adapted to the needs of each cleaning. On average, families receive more than $ 7,000 and usually need help for three to six months.
“One of Santa Clara's lessons is that private investment can stimulate innovation and that public investment can guarantee sustainability,” explains Jeff Olivet, principal advisor to the Harvard Th Chan School of Public Health Health Harvard initiative in a telephone interview.
“Unless we can prevent homelessness before starting, we will never resolve without-abrism,” explains Olivet, former executive director of the US Interagency Council on Homelessness under President Joe Biden. Mr. Olivet is a main support advisor to the destination: the efforts of the house and in search of replication possibilities in other communities across the country.
He warns that communities must invest in prevention strategies, expand housing supply and improve affordability. “But that cannot be or think-he must be thinking about both goals,” he adds.
Melanie Stetson Freeman / Staff
In an emergency
For Brenda Flores, it only took three weeks for her family to be in danger. She, her husband and two daughters live in an apartment in a room in a complex in Sunnyvale. Her husband's income from her construction job supports the family while they are increasing their daughters, aged 14 and 6.
In 2021, her husband was hospitalized for two weeks after a back injury. The family had to face a hospital bill of $ 2,500. They also missed $ 1,850 in rent this month because he could not work.
“What we had no rental, we did not have for the bill,” explains Ms. Flores in Spanish through a picnic table near her apartment. “It gave us a feeling of helplessness to do nothing. It was not because we didn't want to pay the rent. ”
Their owner posted an expulsion notice at their door and the family contacted HPS. In a few days, a case manager contacted the owner to stop the expulsion process.
The program covered the family rent for six months and provided an allowance of $ 1,000 to the medical bill. After two months, Ms. Flores' husband recovered completely and the family started a savings account. The family still lives in the same apartment.
HPS operates through a network of around 20 non -profit service providers, working together to connect families to emergency rent, case management, legal aid and other critical support.
When a resident requests help, their information is entered in a centralized database accessible by all partner agencies. The objective is to ensure an approach “without bad door”, so that no matter where someone is looking for help, it can be quickly transported to the services it needs.
Applicants must be a county resident, qualified as low income, face an expulsion within 14 days and be at high risk of homelessness.
“We just have thousands of families who are at a payroll away from homeless,” says Kaminski. “A medical incident that can have an impact on their finances, loss of employment or family separation.”
Nguyen met Sandra Munoz when she asked for help in February. Munoz has worked as a case manager at Lifemoves, an interim support housing program, in the past 20 years.
“Each aspect of my work is to prevent homelessness,” explains Ms. Munoz. She says her customers generally only need help once. “Every day I come to work, I am proud of my work.”
Ms. Nguyen says that she is grateful to both Munoz and the organization not only to help rental assistance, but also to have restored her confidence in community programs.
“I had carried this burden by myself,” explains Ms. Nguyen. “When Sandra called, I cried tears of joy. Joy and relief. I'm still there because of her. “
The report of this story was supported by Verena Martinez in Sunnyvale, California.
