Neighborhood Hands

This past Saturday, August 24, was a RECORD-BREAKING PROGRAM for the #neighborhoodhandscommunity. The recap… * 238 total neighbors * 193 volunteers experiencing homelessness or economic insecurity * 45 other volunteers and staff from 19 community partners: * (3) Public sector: City of SJ’s Cash 4 Trash Program; Adopt-A-Park Program; and Parks, Recreation & Neighborhood Services Dept (PRNS). * (10) Nonprofit sector: Guadalupe River Park Conservancy; Good Karma Bikes; Open Doors to Future Possibilities; Downtown Streets Team; Project WeHope’s Dignity On Wheels; Meals On Wheels; Unhoused Response Group (URG); Vibes & Smiles; Team Jesus; Chase Love. * (6) Private sector: Noah’s NY Bagels; South Bay Grading; Bills Brush Works; Swenson; Nugent Family Counseling Center; DJ Toonin. * Estimated 17,360 pounds of park debris cleared Truly incredible what we can accomplish when the neighborhood is connected and organized around a shared purpose. See you September 7! www.neighborhoodhands.org #community #communitybuilding #homelessoutreach #californiahomeless #parkcleaning #siliconvalleystartup #endsocialisolation #connectwithyourneighbor #changelives

This past Saturday, August 24, was a RECORD-BREAKING PROGRAM for the #neighborhoodhandscommunity. The recap… * 238 total neighbors * 193 volunteers experiencing homelessness or economic insecurity * 45 other volunteers and staff from 19 community partners: * (3) Public sector: City of SJ’s Cash 4 Trash Program; Adopt-A-Park Program; and Parks, Recreation & Neighborhood Services Dept (PRNS). * (10) Nonprofit sector: Guadalupe River Park Conservancy; Good Karma Bikes; Open Doors to Future Possibilities; Downtown Streets Team; Project WeHope’s Dignity On Wheels; Meals On Wheels; Unhoused Response Group (URG); Vibes & Smiles; Team Jesus; Chase Love. * (6) Private sector: Noah’s NY Bagels; South Bay Grading; Bills Brush Works; Swenson; Nugent Family Counseling Center; DJ Toonin. * Estimated 17,360 pounds of park debris cleared Truly incredible what we can accomplish when the neighborhood is connected and organized around a shared purpose. See you September 7! www.neighborhoodhands.org #community #communitybuilding #homelessoutreach #californiahomeless #parkcleaning #siliconvalleystartup #endsocialisolation #connectwithyourneighbor #changelives

The core of our “party-in-the-park” homeless outreach model is connection and collaboration. Our no-barrier program is step one on the journey out of homelessness. Our esteemed community partners — like Open Doors to Future Possibilities, Inc. who specialize in mental health consulting, employment assistance, and other services — provide steps 2, 3, 4, etc. It takes the whole neighborhood to lift those experiencing unsheltered homelessness, and we are so grateful The Open Doors Team is part of our #neighborhoodhandscommunity. Learn more about their services: https://lnkd.in/gS-YvZT

This past Saturday we celebrated our 200th program with over 200 neighbors!! The spirit in the air was palpable and a true testament to the passion and excitement growing around our no-barrier grassroots community. To everyone who continues to support and join our mission: THANK YOU!! It takes the whole neighborhood, and we simply couldn’t exist without you. Guadalupe River Park Conservancy Good Karma Bikes Loaves & Fishes Family Kitchen Open Doors to Future Possibilities, Inc. Downtown Streets Team Laine Equipment Bills Brush Works, Noah's New York Bagels, Team Jesus, Unhoused Response Group, Santa Clara County Behavioral Health, City of SJ’s Adopt-a-Park and PRNS, Vibes & Smiles Nugent Family Counseling Center, Otto Lee, Cindy Chavez, and so many more! #neighborhoodhandscommunity #200 #majormilestone #community #communitybuilding #california #siliconvalley #nonprofit #startup

Huge thanks to South Bay Grading for letting us share the Neighborhood Hands mission and vision with some of the top builders in Silicon Valley last Thursday! We’re so grateful for your support!! #neighborhoodhandscommunity #privatesector #cantdoitwithoutyou Laine Equipment

Come celebrate a MAJOR MILESTONE — OUR 200TH PROGRAM — on SATURDAY, JULY 27!!! This will be a special program and celebration of SO MANY HANDS coming together to connect, lift each other up, and beautify our #sanjosecommunity. Guadalupe River Park Conservancy Good Karma Bikes Loaves & Fishes Family Kitchen Open Doors to Future Possibilities, Inc. Laine Equipment Swenson Builders Inc Downtown Streets Team City of San Jose Parks, Recreation, & Neighborhood Services, Bill Brush Works, Team Jesus, Unhoused Response Group, Vibes and Smiles Inc. NoahsNYBagels and many more! See you out there!! https://lnkd.in/g43Tf9Qd #neighborhoodhandscommunity

We at Neighborhood Hands are deeply saddened by #SCOTUS's shameful and wholly unproductive decision in the case of Johnson v. Grants Pass, which will allow local governments (if they choose) to criminalize homelessness amidst a housing affordability crisis of heartbreaking proportions. We wish to be ultra clear with all neighbors: We will never end the era of encampments with punitive, short term strategies that ignore the root cause of the problem -- a severe lack of affordable housing in our community. If residents and elected officials say “NO” to more permanent affordable housing and “YES” to forcing low-income and unhoused neighbors into shelters (with jail as the alternative for non-compliance) – while ignoring the elephant in the room that THERE IS SIMPLY NOWHERE FOR THESE PEOPLE TO GO after a shelter stay due to our area’s exorbitant cost of living – our collective actions are the strategic and moral equivalent of a wealthy doctor putting a bandaid on a foot-long flesh wound and saying, “this is the best we can do.” In the wealthiest region of the wealthiest nation in the history of the world, our unprecedented crisis is the result of decades of NIMBY-ism and short term thinking at all levels of government. We are dealing with an immense societal failure, and one that demands the utmost empathy for those who have been pushed to the margins. We will only turn the tide and keep our most vulnerable neighbors from the endless rip currents of homelessness if we invest in a LOT more affordable housing and proven prevention strategies. If we don’t, the long-term cost for everyone will grow, and our lowest-income neighbors will continue to pay the heaviest price in pain. We witness this first hand every Saturday at our program. Arresting our way out of homelessness is simply not the answer. We can and must do better. #johnsonvsgrantspass #homelesscrisis #supremecourt #letsdobetter

Our 2023 Annual Report is available now on the homepage of our website! https://lnkd.in/d3CYXCZx What we learned last year (in a nutshell): We are collectively building a truly special grassroots community and homeless outreach model. To everyone who has and continues to lend a hand or pitch in to make this happen: THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!! We can’t wait to see what's in store for the #neighborhoodhandscommunity next. -NH

Thanks for the new tools, @sjparksandrec!! Your investment in our growing program is so appreciated! #adoptapark #neighborhoodhandscommunity #publicsector #cantdoitwithoutyou #cleanerparks #endsocialisolation #homelessoutreach #connectwithyourneighbors

We appreciate you, The Home Depot! Thanks so much for investing in our growing program!! 🙏🙌🙋♂️ #neighborhoodhandscommunity #privatesector #cantdoitwithoutyou