"While most of the city slept in their warm, comfy beds, hundreds of homeless residents gathered around the crack of dawn to help clean up the park in exchange for a $20 cash stipend offered by the nonprofit Neighborhood Hands. It's a familiar sight, as they've been coming here every other weekend since the organization rebooted in 2020. For many, it's more than the opportunity to earn some money and clean up the park."
"Alfredo Vera receives a haircut from volunteer Thanh Nguyen Saturday morning in San Jose, Calif. on Oct. 18, 2025. Haircuts is one of many free resources available to the unhoused and economically insecure participants taking part in the Neighborhood Hands Guadalupe Park clean-up program.(Laura A. Oda/Bay Area News Group) Today, she proudly reflects on the progress she has made trading a tent for interim housing, setting goals, reconnecting with her family and becoming a supervisor at her work."
On an autumn morning hundreds of unhoused residents gathered at San Jose's Guadalupe Gardens to clean the park in exchange for a $20 stipend from Neighborhood Hands. The program has operated every other weekend since 2020 and pairs work with free services such as haircuts and other resources for economically insecure participants. Many participants report increased hope and belonging, with concrete progress including trading tents for interim housing, setting goals, reconnecting with family, and taking on supervisory roles. Volunteers and coordinators organize teams, including a pink-vest group largely composed of women, to support participant stability and opportunity.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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