Across the Bay Area, one unexpected expense can push a family into crisis — a car repair, a medical emergency, a rent hike. Too many of our neighbors are teetering on the edge — crushed by soaring housing costs, on the brink of homelessness, uncertain of their next meal and feeling invisible.
Organizations like LifeMoves and United Way Bay Area stand on the frontlines, partnering through Santa Clara County’s Emergency Assistance Network to keep families housed and fed. Alongside a coalition of trusted agencies, we are preventing homelessness with urgently needed rental assistance, food distribution and support services.
But that safety net is fraying.
Stalled federal funding has sent shockwaves through our local system. Agencies are delaying grants, freezing hiring and scaling back services. Where clients once sought aid, they’re now met with waitlists and apologies.
Now more than ever, we ask our communities to step up where federal dollars fall short. Local giving is our most immediate and effective response. It powers emergency housing, food banks, case management and proven programs that prevent homelessness before it begins.
LifeMoves, Silicon Valley’s largest provider of interim housing and supportive services, is facing real-world impacts of proposed federal cuts. These disruptions jeopardize the stability of more than 7,000 clients annually — more than one new client every day — by threatening access to permanent housing, case management, medical care and the bridge services essential to long-term stability.
United Way Bay Area is confronting parallel challenges. In March, Washington indefinitely paused over $117 million in federal funds allocated to the Emergency Food and Shelter Program — including $2.5 million for the Bay Area already appropriated by Congress. In 2023 alone, UWBA used this funding to provide more than 1.1 million meals and nearly 50,000 nights of shelter.
These services are not luxuries. They’re lifelines.
Waning federal investments are putting our region at risk of a new wave of hunger and homelessness, hitting low- and middle-income earners the hardest — families already stretched thin by inflation and housing costs.
This is when the role of local safety nets, like the EAN, becomes clear.
In fiscal year 2023, the EAN distributed over 14 million pounds of food, provided rent and utility assistance to 3,500-plus households and helped keep 90% of participating families stably housed. Financial aid recipients were 81% less likely to become homeless within six months.
Still, the need continues to grow. One in four Bay Area households struggles to afford basic necessities. Nearly 100,000 spend over half their income to keep a roof overhead.
Beyond the statistics, these are our neighbors, coworkers and children’s classmates.
While we continue to advocate for renewed federal support, relief may come too late. This is the moment to act locally.
Whether to the EAN, UWBA, LifeMoves or another cause close to your heart — give generously and advocate loudly. Every dollar sustains the safety nets that keep families afloat and ensures that food, housing and hope remain within reach.
Aubrey Merriman is the CEO of LifeMoves. Keisha Browder is the CEO of United Way Bay Area.
EAN Agencies: United Way Bay Area, LifeMoves, Community Services Agency of Mountain View and Los Altos, Sacred Heart Community Service, South County Community Services, Sunnyvale Community Services, The Salvation Army Silicon Valley, and West Valley Community Services.
0 comments