The COVID crisis in Santa Clara County has had an impact on us all; social distancing, school shut-downs, working from home, small business closures, mandatory mask wearing, and missed medical appointments. While to some families, this is an inconvenience, to many it is a tragic turn of events.
For the people living on the fringes and struggling to pay the bills, this crisis is threatening the well-being of their families. With a population of 1.94M in Santa Clara County and a current poverty rate of 8.64%, that’s over 167,000 people already living in poverty, and with their employment going away they are struggling every day to make ends meet. Many have turned to St Vincent de Paul to get relief.
The Society of St Vincent de Paul of Santa Clara County (SVdP) was founded in 1946 with a mission to help anyone regardless of race, creed, religion, age, sex… we help all in need! We provide assistance with food, utilities, rent, healthcare costs, and transportation expenses. No act of charity is foreign to our Society.
The greatest expense a struggling family faces in Santa Clara County is rent, which was why the county placed a moratorium on evictions. However, although this moratorium prevents eviction, it does not relieve the financial obligation of the tenants, it simply delays it. As a result, many families are going deeper into debt in addition to becoming unemployed. Last year, SVdP provided an average of $45,000.00 a month in rental assistance. With the COVID crisis, we have seen the request for rental assistance increase to over $110,000.00 in June and over $115,000.00 in July. When the eviction moratorium is lifted and families must start paying back overdue rents, we anticipate a “tsumani” of requests for financial assistance. One major source of income for SVdP is through local Church collections and fundraising events. With the delays in opening Churches and social distancing preventing fundraising events, our income has been drastically reduced. We are reaching out to our donor based for help. Our goal is to rescue as many families as we can and prevent more homelessness in our County. Any and all contributions are greatly appreciated. 100% of all donations will go to helping families with housing. An anonymous donor has agreed to match all donations received by September 30 up to $25,000.
You can donate securely online by clicking the following link: Donate Now.
If you’d prefer to donate by check please mail your donation to:
Society of St. Vincent de Paul of SCC
P.O. Box 5579
San Jose, CA 95150
May God Bless You and Keep Your Family Safe!