Author: Laura Sandoval (Laura Sandoval)

When we see our neighbors living unsheltered along our sidewalks or parks, it’s tempting to tell ourselves it was their own decisions that put them there. But overall, homelessness is not a personal choice. It’s a policy choice, made and solidified by decisions and indecision at every level over decades, that has led to San...

Last month, I popped into the community room at Vela, East San Jose’s newest affordable housing community developed by Affirmed Housing, to find dozens of residents laughing over a friendly game of Blank Slate. The residents waved when they saw me—welcoming me, a stranger, to join them. They chatted warmly about their first days in...

There are a lot of misconceptions about people experiencing homelessness. A pervasive one is that unhoused people don’t want help, shelter or housing. From mine and my team’s years of experience, we have found that to be patently false. Quite the opposite: PATH’s 2021 client feedback survey showed 87% of our unhoused participants actively want...

The underlying causes of homelessness are complex, but they can be narrowed down to structural inequities and, ultimately, the lack of housing. We see trends of homelessness increasing when the cost of housing increases. Despite a lot of progress being made in the homelessness and housing sectors, we are still seeing more people fall into...

When Santa Clara County last month released the preliminary results of the 2022 Point-in-Time Count, we learned that at least 10,028 people are experiencing homelessness in the county. While it appears and feels like homelessness has drastically increased, the data reveals only a slight overall increase in homelessness—3% in the county and an 11% increase...

Homelessness is the issue of our time and PATH has been focused on addressing the issues from all fronts. From public policy, community engagement, and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, we are working to address the systemic causes and bring more solutions to the communities we serve. And we couldn’t do this work alone. We...

One of my earliest memories as a case manager was meeting a young woman who just experienced her first night of homelessness. Over the years that have passed, I no longer remember her face, the color of her hair, her frame, or even her age. But I remember her shoes. They were threadbare, the soles...

Across California, PATH employees of all backgrounds and identities are working to end homelessness. This month, to honor Black History Month, PATH is elevating the voices and experiences of PATH staff members and highlighting the disparities that exist in the Black community when it comes to homelessness and housing affordability. From sharing resources, to supporting...

Homelessness impacts everyone—either directly or indirectly—and many of us have opinions on causes and solutions. From elected officials to your next-door neighbor, this topic weighs heavy on our minds and hearts. We can’t help but ponder what it would take to make things better—it’s human nature to try to make sense of what we see....

In the early hours of Jan. 19-20, hundreds of service providers—including our PATH outreach teams—and volunteers will be deployed across Santa Clara County to find and conduct a by-person count of all observed individuals experiencing homelessness. The biannual Point-in-Time Count, which was paused last year due to COVID-related risks, will resume in the new year....