We hope you will join us on Monday, April 20th at 1:00pm for our third HEART Talk – conversations with SCU Alums about their careers in response to the housing and homelessness crisis. Our featured speaker is Jennifer Palmer, ’94’, Director of Housing & Community Services for Napa County.
Follow this link or click the image below to register!
Today’s the day! Please support the Unhoused Initiative on this Day of Giving in honor of our unhoused neighbors and SCU’s commitment to building a more just, humane and sustainable world.
Scan or click the QR code to make a donation. Every gift counts and is appreciated!
SCU’s Day of Giving is tomorrow, Wednesday, April 8th. The Unhoused Initiative is hoping to raise $10,000 to support our campus-wide projects focused on education, service and action.
Your gift will allow us to host educational events, support faculty research, offer courses and curriculum, and coordinate community-based service opportunities. All of the Unhoused Initiative’s activities are dedicated to centering the dignity and humanity of our unhoused neighbors – because SCU guides us to be people for others.
The Unhoused Initiative’s events and projects are open to the full campus community. We hope to engage all Broncos as we examine the complexities of the local housing crisis and how our Jesuit values guide us to respond.
For a glimpse into our work, please watch the video below created by UI Student Researcher, Kaylee Jensen. The video features a participant in Unhoused Initiative sponsored interviews focused on addressing stigma and misinformation related to homelessness.
To make a gift, please visit our Day of Giving website. Thank you for your support!
Congratulations to Jesica Fernández, Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies, the 2026 recipient of the Unhoused Initiative’s Faculty Research Grant! Professor Fernández will use the funds to study youth perspectives of homelessness, focusing on a San Jose neighborhood that experiences persistent housing insecurity.
The project builds upon Jesica’s work with SCU’s Environmental Justice for the Common Good Initiative Youth for Justice Program. We look forward to seeing the results of the study.
We are also excited to share an update from previous UI grantee, Engineering Professor, Hashim Said. Professor Said’s paper, “Generative Design of Interim Housing for Homeless Communities” was selected for the 2026 Construction Research Congress in San Antonio, Texas. The paper is co-authored with Joanne Price of Dignity Moves, Hashim’s community partner on the project.
You can access Prof. Said’s paper, as well as publications from other grantees, on the UI’s Online Resource Bank to read and learn more.
We hope to see you at one of these upcoming opportunities!
Addison Lewis, ‘26 (Biology & Environmental Science) will serve as the first Unhoused Initiative Student Fellow. Addison will devote 50 hours of service to UI community partner, Agape Silicon Valley during spring quarter. Addison will support Agape’s outreach and supply distribution to regional encampments. She will also help Agape build their online presence and develop organizational tools and systems.
Thanks to a Bannan Grant from the Ignatian Center, the UI will support additionanl fellows in placements with community partners. We are currently working with other organizations to establish opportunities.
If you are interested in a fellowship opportunity, please email us – unhousedinitiative@scu.edu
Check out this fact sheet to learn more!
Thanks to donations from our SCU community, we provided dozens of coats, ponchos, warm clothes, shoes, tarps, hygiene kits, and hand warmers to four local homeless service organizations for their clients.
Way to go, Broncos!
Articles, podcasts and news related to the homelessness crisis publish nearly every day. These are stories we recommend.
The Unhoused Initiative is supported by the Deans of the College of Arts & Sciences & School of Law, Destination: Home SV and private gift funds.
H.E.A.R.T Talks with Bronco Alums: Is Homelessness a Housing Problem? Reflections from a Bronco Alum Who Builds Affordable Housing
Please join the Unhoused Initiative for our second H.E.A.R.T Talk – a series of discussion groups featuring SCU alums who are now engaged in the response to homelessness and the housing crisis. You can register for this in-person event here.
The Unhoused Initiative invites you to attend a group discussion focused on the complexities of building affordable housing, facilitated by SCU alum, Jose Lujano, ’14. This is the second in a multi-part series – HEART Talks – featuring SCU alums now engaged in the response to homelessness and the housing crisis. Our invited alums will present about their post-SCU career and facilitate the group discussion.
Jose Lujano, ’14, is a long-time housing policy professional and affordable housing development project manager focused on building and preserving affordable housing options in the Bay Area. Born and raised in East San Jose, his work is informed by his upbringing, working to make sure residents have options to remain in their communities while simultaneously building new affordable housing options nearby. José is also a volunteer board member for the South Bay Community Land Trust which works to de-commodify real estate and empower member residents in decision-making regarding their homes.
H – homelessness
E – empathy
A – awareness
R – resilience
T – transformation
All are welcome. We look forward to seeing you there!
Click here to register for the event.
In compliance with ADA/504, please direct accommodation requests to unhousedinitiative@scu.edu at least 72 hours before the event.
Are you interested in researching homelessness, but not sure where to start? Do you have data related to homelessness you’ve been intending to analyze? Have you been thinking about an ethical, religious or artistic dimension of homelessness you’d like to explore?
Homelessness is one of the greatest challenges we face in our region, and we lack academic research into the crisis. This RFP invites SCU faculty to address this gap with grant awards of up to $4,000.
We welcome original proposals focused on the local homelessness crisis. Projects that are community-partnered or consider ethical or equity implications related to homelessness will be prioritized.
Applications are due February 13, 2026
Awards will be announced February 25th.
Find the full RFP description & guidelines here.
Please direct questions to Marlene Bennett – MBennett@scu.edu
We look forward to your proposals!
This fall, courses led by UI faculty and partners immersed students in the local response to homelessness. Students in Long Le’s Microfinance for Entrepreneurial Development, Sonja Mackenzie’s Senior Public Health Capstone, and Brie Mendoza’s Unhoused Advocacy Clinic worked directly with our unhoused neighbors and researched opportunities for local change.
Capstone students took on two projects. Utilizing a “Wellness Audit,” one group examined the impacts of displacement while unhoused, collecting surveys at a variety of community sites. In partnership with the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley and the Gilroy Union of the Homeless, their findings will inform local advocacy addressing encampment sweeps. A second group of Capstone students assisted people with claims for lost, damaged or destroyed property arising out of abatements, supporting the Unhoused Advocacy Clinic’s work. A recorded presentation of each group’s findings is available here.
Management students developed a “Zero Interest Microfinance” program for people experiencing homelessness which includes microloans and financial literacy training. People experiencing homelessness are also invited to invest in the program. A ZiM pilot is expected to launch this winter.
Through the Unhoused Advocacy Clinic, law students assisted clients with court fines and fees, property claims and record clearance matters. The students staffed six legal clinics in the community during fall semester, serving nearly 60 people who have been impacted by the criminalization of homelessness.
Of note, the three courses worked collaboratively, increasing their projects’ impact and bolstering community connections. People who needed assistance with a property claim, for example, could also respond to the Wellness Audit and learn about the ZiM program. Students also supported the work of community partners with service hours, research contributions and community education.
Campus education and community partnership are pillars of the Unhoused Initiative’s work. We congratulate the students’ on their commitment and impact this fall!
Watch for upcoming details about these events and projects …
You can learn more on Destination: Home’s website.
Nearly one-quarter of SCU students experience housing insecurity according to the annual Basic Needs Survey. If you need support to maintain your housing, access food, obtain health insurance or meet a transportation or technology need, help is available. Use this form to contact SCU’s Basic Needs Office for assistance.
Articles, podcasts and news related to the homelessness crisis publish nearly every day. These are stories we recommend.
The online news for SCU’s College of Arts & Sciences recently featured the Unhoused Initiative’s partnership with Senior Public Health Capstone students and their focused research on the local homelessness crisis.
UI Faculty Member, Dr. Sonja Mackenzie, has dedicated her Senior Public Health Capstone class to homelessness in Silicon Valley three years running. Projects have focused on two primary topics: stigma and homelessness, and the impacts of displacement while unhoused.
Community partners are a vital part of the Capstone students’ work. Agape Silicon Valley, Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, the Mobile Showers, the Unhoused Advocacy Clinic, and people with lived experience of homelessness have all been a critical part of the projects, providing guidance, mentorship and insights to the research and work product. With the support of these partnerships, the students’ research will be used to inform advocacy, education and outreach in response to the homelessness crisis in Silicon Valley.
As noted by the CAS article, courses like Dr. Mackenzie’s Capstone class embody SCU’s Jesuit values: “Students are using their research skills to document the health impacts of displacement and, in the process, learning what it means to live out SCU’s Jesuit mission of serving humanity through education and action.” The UI is proud to support and offer opportunities for SCU students to witness the realities of the homelessness crisis and engage with those most deeply impacted by it. We thank the College of Arts & Sciences for supporting our efforts and sharing this part of our work.
If you missed this event, you can find the recording here!
This week, KQED published an article highlighting food insecurity among college students. The article, titled “Food Insecurity on Campus: How SNAP is a ‘Lifeline’ For Many Students,” features Unhoused Initiative Student Researcher, Kaylee Jensen. In the article, Kaylee reflects on her experience accessing and utilizing SNAP benefits (also known as CalFRESH) while attending SCU. Kaylee describes having to balance affording rent, food and other basic needs all while keeping up with her coursework. Staff from SCU’s Basic Needs Office assisted Kaylee with filing for SNAP benefits and, according to Kaylee, the difference was like “‘night and day.'”
Kaylee is not alone. According to the article over 400,000 public college and university students access CalFRESH benefits; however, college students are often overlooked in the discussion of public benefit recipients and those facing deficits in their basic needs. It can also be a hidden issue or source of shame for those needing help. SCU is no different. According to the annual Assessment of Food Security and Basic Needs at Santa Clara University study, SCU students face food insecurity and struggle to meet other basic needs like housing, The most recent survey results found that nearly 30% of respondents faced food insecurity and one-quarter faced housing insecurity.
SCU’s Basic Needs Program is available to help students access resources and help them meet their needs. The Basic Needs Office hosts a food pantry, benefits application assistance, emergency financial assistance, and connection to other resources. Marlene Bennett, Project Director of the Unhoused Initiative is proud to serve on the Basic Needs Committee and support its work, particularly around issues of student housing insecurity. If you are an SCU student and need assistance with food, rent, health insurance, technology access or transportation, please visit the Basic Needs website and complete the linked intake form.
No one should go hungry. Everyone deserves to have their basic needs met. We applaud Kaylee for sharing her experience with KQED and shining a light on an issue that need not remain in the shadows.
The Unhoused Initiative at SCU 