Homelessness Prevention
Need Help Paying Rent?
The Santa Clara County Homelessness Prevention System has assistance available for low-income families or individuals who are at risk of losing their housing.
Visit PreventHomelessness.org or view the flyers below for more information – and then call (408) 926-8885 to schedule a pre-screening appointment to determine if you qualify for assistance.
Residents in our community are being pushed into homelessness faster than our systems are able to build and connect people to permanent housing. We must address the problem proactively to prevent homelessness before it begins.
In 2017, Destination: Home helped launch the Homelessness Prevention System to build a solution that stops the cycle of homelessness before it even begins. The program has since been adopted by our County as its leading homelessness prevention strategy and is now being held up as the evidence-based model to replicate nationwide. This is more than just a success story – it’s a game-changing approach to ending homelessness.
The model delivers financial assistance and supportive services to help individuals and families remain housed. The system has helped stabilize over 33,000 at-risk households, with measurable results. Two years after receiving assistance, more than 90% of these households remained housed, proving a significant reduction in homelessness risk.
In 2024, the County fully integrated this model into the broader public safety net, charting a course for expansion to support more households at imminent risk of homelessness. The County now reaches more than 2,500 households a year with homelessness prevention services.
A Proven Model
By focusing on prevention, we’re tackling the root causes of housing instability and showing that keeping families in their homes is both compassionate and cost-effective. In the first randomized controlled trial on a prevention program, Notre Dame’s Lab for Economic Opportunities has proven that this solution doesn’t just delay homelessness—it prevents it altogether.
Now, this model is being held up for replication nationwide as an effective solution to our homelessness crisis. Our partners at Results for America have just released a new resource outlining how to launch, operate and manage a homelessness prevention system, offering a clear path forward for other communities to replicate our success in Santa Clara County.
Why prevention?
Homelessness prevention is proven to be a more cost-effective and compassionate approach than addressing homelessness once a family or individual has already been pushed onto the streets. At an average of $7,000 provided to each household, it is a pragmatic way to keep people housed, with just 9% of households becoming homeless two years after receiving Homelessness Prevention System services.
Prevention is more critical than ever. A recent Harvard study found that rising rents and stagnant wages have left half of Americans unable to afford housing, while an increasing number of our neighbors are being pushed into homelessness.
In Santa Clara County:
Evidence of Success
Notre Dame’s Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO) studied the impact of the Santa Clara County Homelessness Prevention System, and found the first evidence from a randomized controlled trial showing that financial assistance significantly decreases homelessness. The study also suggests benefits to the broader community exceed the costs of the program – with $2.47 in benefits gained for every dollar spent on financial assistance.
