Author: Laura Sandoval (Laura Sandoval)

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....

When a resident moves into a PATH apartment building, they are connected to more than a rental unit—they are joining a community. “Community” is one of those nebulous concepts that looks different for everyone. For some, community means enjoying the company of others with common interests—joining a faith-based fellowship, special interest club, a neighborhood association....

Being a resident of downtown San Jose, I intimately understand that my community members are suffering. I hear it in the voices of business owners who are struggling to keep their doors open in the era after a global pandemic. I see it when I pass people curled under sleeping bags along the sidewalks that line...

With the return of in-person learning, familiar challenges emerge for families experiencing homelessness. School registration can be complicated due to the loss of critical documents that may have been lost upon becoming homeless. Youth may be reassigned from their former schools (and friend groups) if their address changed while their family temporarily relocated in order...

Santa Clara County is making great strides in our progress in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. By mid-August, arguably the height of summer season, our county reports reflected an average of 284 new cases reported in the past seven days. Sure, that’s higher than our mid-June 26-case average, but it’s also drastically lower than our January...

It’s going to be another hot week. Safe at home, I can turn to my cooling system as my apartment begins to swelter in the summer heat. Yet with this privilege also comes a reminder of responsibility. PG&E alerts for rolling blackouts prompt me to turn off the AC and open my windows, hoping to...

Everywhere you look this month, you see rainbows for LGBTQ+ Pride Month. From major corporations changing their logos on social media, to local shops displaying every type of rainbow product you can imagine, to cities, counties, and states raising the rainbow flag. San Jose is no exception, where the new police chief continued the tradition...

Homelessness can be extremely isolating and people experiencing it are commonly disconnected from family, friends and support systems. Their primary way of communicating may be just a sign that states an immediate need—Hungry! Cold! Anything helps! They may rest on the sidewalk or sleep somewhere out of sight from the public. Days may pass without...

This past year, Americans have learned to lead very different lives in the era of COVID. While these adjustments range from annoying to upending, I recognize that, for me personally, these changes have not jeopardized my future security or happiness. Yet during my nine months at People Assisting The Homeless (PATH), I have heard the...