April 2025

Progress Newsletter

By Sheryl Young, PVF San Mateo County Program Director

San Mateo County is the 4th richest county in the nation, but sadly has thousands of middle class and low income families struggling to feed their children. With some of the most expensive housing in the nation (median house price at $1.9M and median rentals at $3,336/month), our families struggle to meet these costs, as well as additional increases in costs of living, and many face the loss of jobs and benefits.     

“The uncertainty of governmental funding for current social services contracts, as well as future contracts, create a very destabilizing time,” summarizes Barrie Hathaway, CEO of JobTrain. Most nonprofit agencies are waiting to hear on decisions from governmental funding sources, corporations, and foundations, creating tension among families and staff. Most likely, cuts are coming which will impact the middle class and low income families and create an upsurge in need. 

The current needs throughout the county are not new, but this is a time when funding is uncertain due to the impact of federal cuts, and potential shifts in funding from state and county resources. We’d like to share with you what we’ve been learning from our nonprofit partners: 

Housing continues to be a significant challenge, especially for families with children. Currently 22,000 more affordable units are necessary to meet current need. Rents are increasing and if evicted from an apartment, a family can spiral into homelessness, taking years to recover. 

Food insecurity is a reality for 8% of our children. As families need to spend more of their income to remain housed, food banks are a lifeline. However, food supplies are limited at the food banks, resulting in nonprofits having to purchase protein to supplement the shortage. Laura Bent, CEO of Samaritan House, reports that she has had to increase their budget significantly for purchase of groceries to distribute to families. “We have also outgrown our kitchen which prepares over 1,500 hot meals daily, and continues to grow especially for seniors.”   

Childcare monthly costs for families exceeds monthly mortgage or rental payments in San Mateo County. There is currently a shortage of 17,000 childcare spaces, meeting only 71% of demand – with critical shortages in infant care and school-age. Current programs are also closing and/or in jeopardy. It was just announced that the Zuckerberg Primary School in EPA, serving over 400 children, will close at the end of next year. Heather Cleary, CEO of Peninsula Family Services which serves over 600 children in 9 learning centers throughout the county (98% of which fall under the county’s poverty line) is worried about the possibility of the elimination of funding for the Head Start Program, a program created 60 years ago to promote school readiness for young children and provide supports for families. She says ”this would leave 750 infants and toddlers with no options, creating havoc in families scrambling to juggle the needs of their children and their jobs.”

Legal services are needed to assist San Mateo County's approximately 55,000 undocumented people (22.5% of the county’s total population) seeking immigration legal help. The average immigrant’s income is $1,900 per month and it is estimated that only 21% of people seeking immigration legal help in California are able to be fully served. Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto provides legal services in the area of economic development, housing and immigration. They have just become a plaintiff in a federal lawsuit against the government for shutting down critical representation programs for unaccompanied immigrant children.  

More services on the Coastside continue to be needed, as families have difficulty accessing what they need on the Peninsula. Agencies like ALAS and Puente tell us that their greatest needs include mental health services, and diapers and baby wipes. Sonrisas provides prevention and dental care for children and adults, and is planning to operate a mobile unit needed for dental services for Pescadero. Coast Pride, an organization bringing together the San Mateo County Coastside to improve the support, visibility and awareness of our LGBTQ community by creating affirming and welcoming community spaces, is facing possible government cuts and increased needs for assistance for their support groups and counseling services, among other resources that they provide.

Other agencies providing vital services In the community include St. Francis Center, a “place of miracles” providing food and other services for families in Redwood City, as well as operating a school, housing, youth center, and clothing closet; Daly City Partnership which provides support for youth, older adults and community resources. They currently have a drive for diapers, backpacks and shoes for children; and JobTrain which has three centers throughout the county to help people with employment and needs personal assistance funds to help their clients pay for items such as gas, DMV fees and childcare.

PVF is here to learn from others about their challenges, and solutions! We normally fund small, emerging grassroots organizations doing good work in the community, many of whom have grown over the years to become large front line organizations providing vital and necessary services, and we continue to stay in touch with them, in addition to constantly seeking out new organizations that can benefit from an investment at the right time from us to help take their work the next level. 

We are thrilled to work with this wide group of talented and dedicated leadership focused on building a better community for all. We will continue to support families and children through the generosity of major donors and supporters. We know that together we can build a future where every family and child feel supported, valued, and empowered.

Last year, 5th grade Berkeley Teacher Jacqueline Omania was selected by National Geographic as a Grosvenor Teacher Fellow. The Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship (GTF) is an experiential professional development opportunity offered through the National Geographic Society and Lindblad Expeditions. This program sends teachers out on expeditions to remote locations to inspire them to teach students about the natural wonder of our world and how to protect and preserve it. This year 35 teachers from the US and Canada were selected out of 500 applicants; out of the 35 only 8 received Antarctica for their destination this past November 2024, including Jacqueline.

While the Fellowship was fully funded by National Geographic, Title 1 schools such as Jacqueline’s do not have the funds to pay for a substitute teacher in order for teachers to take advantage of incredible opportunities such as this. This is where PVF comes in. Our Teacher Resource Grant Programs are intended to help teachers in expand and enhance their classrooms, including through professional development opportunities. We were glad to be able to support Jacqueline, a teacher that helped establish a Climate Literacy Resolution in Berkeley Unified School District, in taking advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity to visit the South Pole and study climate science.



Read Jacqueline’s report below and enjoy a few of the breathtaking photos she shared!

Savannah Lira, Program Manager, is responsible for program management and development, as well as communication materials at PVF. She is an AmeriCorps Alum and has a background in economic development and grantwriting.