Silicon Valley has reached a perfect storm with more families living on the edge, according to officials from two non-profit agencies that provide food, housing and support services to low-income individuals and families in the region. Hunger is widespread and the number of poor and homeless in the valley is rising.
Sujatha Venkatraman is the associate executive director of West Valley Community Services, which helps families in Cupertino, Saratoga, West San Jose, Monte Sereno and Los Gatos. Venkatraman told members of the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors last week that there are 22,000 people currently living in poverty in Silicon Valley. The agency's services have increased 35 percent year-over-year.
Last year WVCS helped 3,893 men, women and children, 1,590 of whom sought help for the first time. WVCS was able to provide $166,544 in emergency financial assistance to pay for rent, utilities, and deposits to prevent homelessness. The agency's food pantry helps over 400 households, and its mobile food pantry, which makes weekly visits to West San Jose, Los Gatos and Saratoga, helps another 400. It also provides food for pantries at De Anza and Foothill colleges, because over 300 of their students are homeless.
Many families in need are longtime residents. "They stay because they feel safe and know their children have a good future because of the excellent schools," said Venkatraman.
Marie Bernard, executive director of Sunnyvale Community Services, said a December 2017 Second Harvest Food Bank report indicates 27 percent of people in both Santa Clara and San Mateo counties (720,000) are at risk of hunger. Of that number, 22 percent are families with children.
"Children are the most vulnerable group," said Bernard, citing a Home Insecurity Pre-Pilot Survey that found 13 percent of children said there was little or no food in their home and 41 percent said they often or sometimes went to bed hungry.
The leading cause of hunger and food insecurity is the high cost of housing in the region. Rents and home prices have skyrocketed so much that people have to choose between rent and food. To rent on a 2-bedroom unit in Santa Clara County, you need an hourly wage of $48.50 or 3.2 full-time jobs. The cost of living is so high that a family of four in Santa Clara County earning $84,750 or less is considered low income when determining eligibility for government assisted housing.
Both directors said risks are growing and at any time, something unexpected hits and a family can become homeless. That's when their agencies step in by helping stabilize families, connecting them to benefits and services, and helping them build skills to increase their resiliency.
"Our goal is stability for families first, then self-sufficiency," said Venkatraman. "It takes a long time to get families stable, let alone self-sufficient."
Early intervention is the most effective way to prevent homelessness and hunger. Bernard said the problem is by the time individuals and families turn to the agency for help, they are already experiencing multiple risk factors and have mounting debt.
Both agencies also help families during the holidays and school year, with holiday food baskets and shopping spree, backpack and school supplies program, and a back-to-school clothing program. Bernard said this year SCS expects to give away backpacks and shoe cards to 1,800 kids. The number could increase to 2,000 because the Family Giving Tree, another agency that gives away backpacks to low income students, has said it may not have enough to give to all students in its service area.
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