April 25, 2024 - West Valley Community Services (WVCS) Annual Impact ReportCITY COUNCIL INFORMATIONAL MEMORANDUM
Date: April 25, 2024
To: Cupertino City Council
From: Benjamin Fu, Director of Community Development
Re: West Valley Community Services (WVCS) Annual Impact Report
Background
West Valley Community Services is a community-based non-profit agency located in
Cupertino that serves low-income and unhoused individuals and families in the West
Valley communities of Cupertino, Saratoga, West San Jose, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, and
the surrounding mountain regions. WVCS partners with the City on a number of
initiatives to assist residents in need through the programs that they offer.
WVCS submitted an impact report to the City in order to inform the City Council and the
public about the impact that they are making to assist the community. The report includes
information about their services and programs, including client data and testimonials,
and is included as a part of this informational memorandum as Attachment A.
Sustainability Impact
No sustainability impact.
Fiscal Impact
No fiscal impact.
_____________________________________
Prepared by: Alec Vybiral, Senior Housing Coordinator
Reviewed by: Benjamin Fu, Director of Community Development
Approved for Submission by: Pamela Wu, City Manager
Attachments:
A – WVCS Impact Report
4/15/2024
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West Valley Community Services
50 years of serving the community
Our mission is to unite the community to fight hunger and homelessness.
Our vision is a community where every person has food on the table and a roof
over their head.
About WVCS
“When I first came into WVCS for help, I had a three-day
notice for evictions. I had to move out if I did not have
any help. WVCS prevented me and my child from
becoming homeless.” - Melissa (Client)
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Attachment A - WVCS Impact Report
4/15/2024
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Our Clients
●West valley residents
●Multicultural
●Multilingual
●Single adults
●Couples
●Families
●Seniors
●At-risk youth
●Domestic abuse survivors
●Disabled
●Homeless and/or unstably housed
Income eligibility
$46,000 individual income
$96,00 family income (four
person household)
Our Services
We provide a variety of critical safety-net services:
●Food - shopping
●Food - delivery
●Rental assistance
●Housing referrals &
support
●Affordable housing
●Family support
●Homeless services
●Case management &
system navigation
●Information and
referrals
●Education and
advocacy
●Employment
coaching
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Our Intervention
●Choice - Pantry to Market
●Food access is looked at with the lens of
nutritional meals
●One stop shop approach
●Mobile operations (9 locations)
●Lived experience conversation
●Service learning opportunities
●Hunger and Housing advocacy for
systems change
WVCS Client Data (2022-2023)
By the Numbers
People came to
WVCS for the first
time
Men, women, and
children assisted
Meals made
possible by our
food pantries
Emergency rental
assistance
provided
1622 4,697 992,916 $ 1,498,142
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Cupertino- 2022-2023
●294 new Cupertino clients
●687 unique clients assessing all services
●100 new clients accessing the Haven to Home
supportive services ( unhoused)
●167 unique clients accessing HTH services
●315 Cupertino residents participated in special
programs (Back to School & Gift of Hope)
●70 households received emergency
rental/utility assistance
●305 rides were provided through the RYDE
program and 244 were subsidized rides
●45 Volunteers from Cupertino
Cupertino Specific Programs
Haven to Home (HTH) helps unhoused clients connect to basic needs, maintain employment, enhance income opportunities, and secure permanent
housing. The HTH Program provides an array of services including food, laundry assistance, information and referral for shelters and safe park programs,
screening for public benefits, transportation assistance, and encampment outreach. This program currently serves 150 households and is funded by the
City of Cupertino.
RYDE is CURB-TO-CURB TRANSPORTATION FOR ADULTS 65+. Serving the West Valley Communities of Campbell, Cupertino, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno,
Saratoga, parts of San Jose, and Morgan Hill. RYDE can be used for appointments, grocery shopping, visits with friends, or trips to a location in the west
valley. RYDE also provides trips to area doctors' offices, hospitals, the Sunnyvale CalTrain Center and the VA Hospital in Palo Alto. Funded by the County
of Santa Clara.
Haven to Home Job Training Program—WVCS has been running this program for three years. For the past two years, we have had four unhoused clients
enrolled, and three out of the four participants have moved into permanent housing and employment. Funded by the City of Cupertino.
CARE program provides safety net services for low-income households to helps low-income families and seniors escape poverty and move towards self-
sufficiency and better health outcomes by connecting them to basic needs, public benefits, educational workshops and resource fairs. Funded by the
City of Cupertino , County of Santa Clara , and El Camino Hospital.
Gift of Hope program provides gifts and food to homeless and low-income families in our service area during the December holiday season. Gifts include
traditional items, such as toys and small household appliances, and seasonally appropriate clothing items that families cannot afford, such as jackets,
gloves, hats, warm socks, and blankets. Funded by the City of Cupertino.
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Our Approach
●Prevent imminent evictions and/or utility shut-off
●Reduce food costs, preserving household assets for other
essential expenses (rent, childcare, medical bills, utilities,
transportation)
●Provide assistance in navigating benefits available through the
social services system in the County
●Help clients remain housed/house un-housed clients
●Develop a plan to reduce long-term debt and save money
●Explore new income and employment opportunities
●Support long-term stability and health for children and other
household members
●Work with clients to develop and implement a plan that supports
long term stability
IMPACT STORIES
Laura is a 65-year-old woman living in Cupertino with her 23-year-old daughter. Laura came to WVCS for emergency rental
assistance due to having knee problems caused by her arthritis and having to take time off work.. Laura’s daughter had a
minimum wage job .and the family struggled to make ends meet. Laura qualified for high risk for eviction and was approved
for rental assistance.. Laura was referred to the housing search program and connected with additional resources. Laura said,
“Thank you for your kindness, attention, and help. Karen and I appreciate this help more than I can explain. I just don't have
the words to say how much this means to us. Thank you.”
Jerry, a 56-year-old man, has been unhoused for over a year and is sleeping out of his car. Jerry suffered from a work-related
injury a few years ago that has affected his mobility. Therefore, Jerry’s car is essential to him for transportation and security.
Jerry approached WVCS to request assistance to pay for his car registration. Jerry was happy as he recently purchased a used
car that was bigger with sufficient space for him and his dog to sleep at night. However, he was worried about getting a ticket
or getting his car taken away from him since he needed to register the car under his name officially. Due to his injury, Jerry
cannot work and depends on SSDI as his primary source of income. He has various expenses that left him without sufficient
funds to pay for the car registration on his own. Jerry expressed his gratitude to WVCS for providing the assistance he needed
to ensure he did not lose his main source of security and transportation. “ Appreciate it, thank you God bless”
“West valley community services as a whole have made a huge impact on our lives that words cannot even describe. I will
forever be grateful and send people their way as they are all not only helpful but genuinely kind and care for others well
being. Thank you so much for all you do”
( WVCS Client)
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Pictures- Resource Fairs
Pictures- Back to School
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4/15/2024
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Pictures- Gift of Hope
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