By Carolyn Schuk

 

For a mother and her children fleeing domestic violence, finding a safe place and the support to rebuild their lives is a challenge.

 

But HomeSafe Santa Clara helps make the process easier. A consortium of seven local non-profits, HomeSafe offers domestic violence victims and their children a one-stop-shop for housing and support services.

 

HomeSafe was one of seven properties featured in the annual Santa Clara County Affordable Housing Week Tour, which this year showcased the City of Santa Clara's diverse affordable housing programs – from the Gateway Santa Clara senior development to the Cortez St. condominiums offering first-time homebuyer financing. 

 

Domestic violence contributes significantly to homelessness – especially when, as in the Bay Area, living costs are high. A 2004 survey by San Diego’s Regional Task Force on the Homeless reported that 50 percent of homeless women are victims of domestic violence, and, in 2005, the U.S. Conference of Mayors named domestic violence as a primary cause of homelessness.

 

To fight those grim statistics, the seven year-old HomeSafe Santa Clara program provides transitional housing for 24 victims of domestic violence and their children for up to 36 months.

 

Developed by San Jose-based Charities Housing, HomeSafe's co-housing provides both private living space and community that women need for re-gaining control of their lives. The program is the only one of its kind anywhere in Santa Clara County. San Jose-based NextDoor Solutions operates the facility, providing onsite case management, day care, after school care, tutoring, counseling and other social and support services.

 

Local groups have been active in their support of this groundbreaking project. NextDoor received a 2008 Mission City Community Fund grant to underwrite social services, while last year's Santa Clara Historic Home Tour contributed its proceeds to the HomeSafe program.

 

"We could not provide the essential services to the women and children that reside at our HomeSafe Santa Clara location without the generous support of agencies such as the Historic Preservation Society of Santa Clara, says Vanessa Cooper, Charities Housing Director of Operations.

 

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