When Jessica Reed first moved into her condo, she felt like a baby once more. She wandered every room in awe, testing every gentle swap and tap prefer it may result in a thriller and even laid down on the carpet – “my carpet,” she emphasised – and made snow angels.
For greater than a decade, Reed had been out and in of homelessness, battling poverty and starvation. However because of South County Neighborhood Companies, she lastly obtained her personal condo to share along with her toddler daughter in 2021. And when she moved into the house that they had ready, each element – from the odor of recent paint to the model new mattress – was a supply of surprise.
“I was like a little kid,” mentioned Reed, 38, who recalled embracing those that helped her transfer in and get her condo. “I was at the peak of joy. I felt like they loved me, they cared about me.”
South County Neighborhood Companies gives support to these like Reed who face poverty, homelessness and meals insecurity in southern Santa Clara County. Via a set of packages, they provide a serving to hand to these in a area with among the highest want within the Bay Space.
“There’s a lot of need. These are individuals who have struggled throughout their lives. Now, they’re ready to move forward and break the cycle,” mentioned Veronica Guzman, Everlasting Supportive Housing Coordinator for South County Neighborhood Companies. “We help them do it.”
The group was born this yr out of two native charities – St. Joseph’s Household Middle and the South County Compassion Middle. Each started as grassroots efforts and finally expanded and started collaborating to deal with problems with poverty, housing and homelessness in Gilroy.
Based on a United Manner Bay Space evaluation of Santa Clara County, Gilroy receives solely 0.1% of the philanthropic donations within the county, regardless of being one of many ZIP codes with the best want for support. The town additionally has one in all largest homeless populations within the Bay Space, with a placing lack of shelter beds and supportive housing.
“We have the highest need and the least amount of financial support for it,” mentioned Tim Davis, Govt Director of South County Neighborhood Companies. “South County has been left behind in so many ways.”
Now beneath the identical umbrella, they’re among the many few teams devoted to addressing that hole in South County. They function a meals financial institution, provide case administration for these making an attempt to get housing, assist with cash for rental help, and amongst different packages, present reasonably priced housing throughout Morgan Hill and Gilroy – together with to individuals like Reed.
Reed, now 38, mentioned instability was in her “DNA.” By age 5, she was within the foster care system, shifting from home to accommodate, and finally dropping out of highschool. Then at 18, she was locked out by her foster household and subsequently fell out and in of homelessness, working temp jobs to get by, and going through poverty, starvation and incarceration. After a sexual assault by a housemate left her pregnant, she fled along with her new child daughter and was as soon as once more getting ready to changing into homeless when South County Neighborhood Companies supplied her an condo, assist with meals and case administration.
Whereas Reed initially wished to assist her daughter by persevering with to work, her case supervisor inspired her to pursue an schooling. Final yr, she earned her highschool diploma and walked the stage for the primary time. When she appeared right down to see her case supervisor there, crying with pleasure at her accomplishment, she began to weep as effectively.
“I never had anyone cry for me before,” mentioned Reed.
Guzman, her case supervisor, tries to make sure that each one in all her shoppers really feel that stage of care. “I always want to treat people with dignity and meet them where they are. I always make sure that they feel heard, that they feel validated, that they belong somewhere,” mentioned Guzman. “We go above and beyond to make sure that they feel like they’re home.”
Reed is way from the one one who went from homelessness to stability with the assistance of South County Neighborhood Companies. During the last yr, the group helped feed over 16,000 households, prevented eviction of 275 households with packages like emergency rental and utilities help, and helped over 250 people out of homelessness.
Again in 2023, Angelica Partida was a type of individuals.
Shortly after Partida turned pregnant by her boyfriend of three months, he started to drink, and along with his ingesting got here abuse. Dealing with a high-risk being pregnant, Partida stop her job to give attention to her well being and that of her youngster. With nowhere else to reside, she put up with what she might till she couldn’t take it anymore.
“I had nowhere to go, but it just got to the point where I couldn’t tolerate it,” recalled Partida. “I grabbed (my son), Anthony, and I went.”
Partida lived in a good friend’s front room, bounced between completely different motels and for months, slept in her automobile along with her son as she sought stability. South County Neighborhood Companies helped her join housing help and pay for her first month’s lease and safety deposit.
Since then, she has been in a position to go to high school, discovering stability for herself and her now two younger sons.
“They were able to help me create a better life for the kids,” mentioned Partida, now 31. “If it wasn’t honestly for them, I don’t know what I would be doing right now. I would probably be struggling financially to have a roof over their heads … I’m forever grateful for them.”
Now, nonetheless, among the packages that helped assist these like Partida and Reed could also be in danger.
For the primary time within the decades-long historical past of the meals financial institution, it has needed to shut its doorways two days per week because of federal cuts. The federal authorities not too long ago froze a $100,000 grant that supported it, and with modifications in eligibility for meals stamps, Davis expects the necessity to solely improve, particularly as meals costs proceed to rise.
Extra than simply feeding those that participate of their packages, Davis believes the meals help is a component and parcel to their work addressing and stopping homelessness. Many who depend on their meals companies have juggled paying for meals, utilities and lease funds to get by, and when a type of fall by means of, it may be step one in the direction of shedding housing. Want E-book donations will present supplemental meals to assist maintain the dietary wants of households impacted by poverty.
Each Partida and Reed are examples of how supporting these most in want can result in a virtuous cycle of those that discover stability giving again, maintains Davis.
Partida is slated to graduate subsequent semester along with her associates diploma in communications from Gavilan Faculty in Gilroy. Her dream is to assist others who confronted homelessness and home violence like her to get the sources they should enhance their conditions.
As for Reed, she is pursuing Social Justice Research at Gavilan Faculty, and works half time mentoring those that, like her, hope to higher their lives after incarceration. After graduating, she hopes that she will be able to assist youth in want to assist “give them a sense of direction.”
Even now, with what cash she will be able to save, Reed works along with others to offer Thanksgiving dinner at native encampments, giving again to these in the identical scenario she as soon as lived.
“I was that person on the other side who was waiting for a hot meal … because of Community Services, I can find that stability. I don’t have to be concerned about where my next meal is going to come from,” mentioned Reed. “If it wasn’t for (them) I wouldn’t be able to make the moves that I’m making. I give thanks to them, I give all gratitude to them.”
WISHDonations to South County Neighborhood Companies will present 357 households dwelling in poverty with 20 kilos of varied meals every week, for one yr. Objective: $50,000.
