“I’m just happy to have stability,” says Emiliana sitting on the couch in her home at Sunrise Pavilion. “This is a place for everyone to grow and learn, regardless of what they’re going through.”
Now in her early 20s, Emiliana is thinking about college and dreaming big. Something that didn’t feel possible when she was sleeping in her car after aging out of the foster care system.
Emiliana is one of more than 20,000 people who are no longer homeless in Santa Clara County since 2020. The place she calls home is the result of intentional collaboration around a shared purpose, and underscores the value of the countywide coordination driven by the Community Plan to End Homelessness.
Partners across the county have been pushing on all fronts to prevent more people from being pushed into homelessness, create and connect people to thousands of new homes and increase better shelter options.
As a result, we’re seeing a 19% drop in people falling into homelessness since 2019, and we’re getting closer to housing more people than are reaching out for help.
Still, too many people are forced to live outside, and our community is facing serious threats putting more families at risk. It’s important to reflect on the bright spots of promise as we keep working toward the shared goal of ending homelessness with lasting results.
Building on This Progress
No one agency or community can drive sustaining solutions on its own. Work is currently underway, crafting our next 5-year roadmap that’ll build on the progress achieved so far. Join an upcoming feedback convening if you’d like to get involved.