UI Faculty Member and Professor of Management, Long Le, was featured in SCU’s online news this April. The article highlights Long’s ZiM program – a former international microloan program – which he recently revived and revised for the benefit of our unhoused neighbors.

ZiM (Zero-Interest Microfinance) provides small loans and financial education to help people currently, or at imminent risk of, experiencing homelessness. Loans can help support or start a person’s microbusiness, pay for a gap in rent, or cover costs of necessary licenses or education. Financial literacy training through ZiM teaches borrowers the basics of budgeting, building credit and managing personal funds.

The ZiM program leverages the UI’s strong community connections to find program participants. UI community partner organizations, such as Neighborhood Hands, the Mobile Showers, and SCU’s own Unhoused Advocacy Clinic, work with Prof. Le to recommend clients to the ZiM program.

Borrowers pay zero interest on their microloan and can be eligible for additional funds after repayment. Repayment not only helps borrowers build their financial acumen, it also allows them to support others in similar situations. Investments in ZiM help people get back on their feet and find a bit more stability as they navigate the many stressors and complexities of being unhoused.

Congratulations to Prof. Le for launching this new iteration of ZiM! To read the full article, click here.

H.E.A.R.T talk with Jennifer Palmer, ’94, Director of Housing & Community Services for Napa County

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!

Help us reach our $10,000 goal!

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!

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!

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.