"When Jessica Reed first moved into her apartment, she felt like a child again. She wandered each room in awe, testing each light switch and faucet like it might lead to a mystery and even laid down on the carpet - "my carpet," she emphasized - and made snow angels."
"For more than a decade, Reed had been in and out of homelessness, struggling with poverty and hunger. But thanks to South County Community Services, she finally got her own apartment to share with her infant daughter in 2021. And when she moved into the space they had prepared, every detail - from the smell of new paint to the brand new mattress - was a source of wonder."
"The organization was born this year out of two local charities - St. Joseph's Family Center and the South County Compassion Center. Both began as grassroots efforts and eventually expanded and began collaborating to address issues of poverty, housing and homelessness in Gilroy. According to a United Way Bay Area analysis of Santa Clara County, Gilroy receives only 0.1% of the philanthropic donations in the county, despite being one of the ZIP codes with the highest need for aid. The city also has one of largest homeless populations in the Bay Area, with a striking lack of"
Jessica Reed moved into an apartment in 2021 with her infant daughter and reacted with childlike wonder at simple comforts such as new paint and a brand new mattress. Reed had spent more than a decade in and out of homelessness while struggling with poverty and hunger. South County Community Services supplies permanent supportive housing and other aid to people facing poverty, homelessness and food insecurity in southern Santa Clara County. The organization emerged from two local charities that expanded and began collaborating to address local needs. Gilroy receives a very small share of county philanthropic donations despite having one of the region's largest homeless populations and high levels of need.
Read at The Mercury News
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