Unhoused individuals and families often struggle to find immediate, safe temporary housing. While most local shelters aim to provide immediate support, the reality is that shelters reach capacity frequently – with many local homeless shelters having a three month waiting period, leaving many vulnerable individuals without a place to stay for the night.
Our project aims to address this gap by providing temporary housing solutions through hotel accommodations for unhoused individuals and families.
Santa Clara’s 2023 Point in Time confirms the full-blown crisis of homelessness in Santa Clara County. Despite being a global hub of economic prosperity, over 9000 residents live on the streets, with thousands more on the brink of homelessness every day. Over 75% are unsheltered and living outdoors.
Currently, Community Seva Inc. offers hotel stays for those most vulnerable or those unable to find immediate housing through traditional support services. We offer three to five days of hotel stay during which time, the individual or the family is able to make alternate arrangements with a local shelter.
1. A recent recipient of our hotel program was a woman with her young children fleeing a very volatile violent situation of domestic abuse with no place to stay for the night. Community Seva was able to provide some days of hotel stay and purchase food and other essentials, and with our ongoing collaboration with housing advocates, this family was able to move towards safety and recovery, and find a more stable housing solution.
2. One recent beneficiary was a 76 year man who had been discharged from the hospital after cancer treatment and staying next to a flooded creek. We provided this person with a hotel for five nights and outdoor essentials like a sleeping bag, a tent and shoes to stay protected during his vulnerable period of recovery and beyond