To build a healthy, thriving Silicon Valley for all–especially those most impacted by inequitable systems–we must invest in community-led and centered solutions. The David & Lucile Packard Foundation is committed to supporting such solutions, reflecting their steadfast belief in the power of collaboration to create lasting change.
The Packard Foundation first partnered with Destination: Home in 2013, supporting infrastructure and strategic planning. In 2016, the Packard Foundation was one of the first private philanthropic supporters of the Santa Clara County Homelessness Prevention System, playing a pivotal role in launching the system and leveraging limited public funding. At the time, the program was an untested concept with capacity to serve about 215 households. Now, nearly nine years later, the system is a game-changer: revolutionizing how homelessness is prevented in Santa Clara County and serving about 1,700 families a year.
The Packard Foundation has more recently been a key partner in several other initiatives, investing $2 million across the Silicon Valley Guaranteed Income Project, the Heading Home campaign to end family homelessness, and our efforts to keep people housed during the COVID-19 pandemic. They have also been a committed general operating partner, contributing more than $1 million to Destination: Home’s broader mission. In all cases, they have helped open the door for Destination: Home to make the bold moves needed to truly combat our local community’s homelessness crisis.
Ending homelessness requires solutions that tackle both immediate crises and root causes. Dedicated partners, like the Packard Foundation, are essential to this work. When we come together with a shared commitment, we can drive innovative solutions, scale what works, and build a future where everyone has a safe and stable place to call home.
Jennifer Loving, Chief Executive Officer, Destination: Home
The Packard Foundation has gone beyond financial support since the beginning of our partnership, engaging as a thought partner and leader in developing initiatives that address the root causes of homelessness in our community and center the perspective of people with lived experience. They understand that just solutions must be designed with—and not only for—the individuals they aim to serve. Their unwavering commitment to equity ensures that our joint efforts reach and uplift those historically excluded from decision-making processes.
The impacts of homelessness touch every corner of our communities. But the same is true for innovative solutions to it – stable and affordable housing helps families put down roots and be actively engaged in their communities, benefitting all of us. Destination: Home’s bold vision for ending homelessness in Silicon Valley has great potential for ensuring our communities are strong, resilient places where everyone can thrive.
Ellen Clear, California Communities Director at The Packard Foundation
Together, Destination: Home and the Packard Foundation share a vision for a resilient and vibrant Bay Area where homelessness is rare, brief, and non-recurring. This partnership exemplifies what is possible when local philanthropy, nonprofits, governments, and communities come together to tackle the challenges closest to home with boldness, innovation, and shared purpose.