Emergency Financial Assistance

The average income for a CSA client family of four is $21,614.
They are not unemployed.

CSA’s Safety Net Includes:

  • Emergency financial assistance for rent and utilities
  • Back-to-School distribution of gift cards
  • Holiday Sharing Program, including distribution of gift cards
  • Fee waivers for Mountain View Parks & Recreation programs

Need Help Paying Rent?

Community Services Agency works in partnership with Sacred Heart Community Service, Santa Clara County’s Office of Supportive Housing, Destination: Home, the City of San José, and 19 community organization partners to provide assistance to low-income families or individuals at risk of losing their housing through the Santa Clara County Homelessness Prevention System (HPS) program. All Santa Clara County residents who are low-income (based on federal guidelines) and currently housed but at risk of becoming homeless are welcome to apply for HPS assistance, which includes: temporary financial assistance, legal support, case management, and other services. To see if you qualify, visit preventhomelessness.org, call (408) 516-5100, or email info@preventhomelessness.org.

“If it hadn’t been for CSA I’d be out on the streets again…” – CSA Emergency Assistance client

For more information about Emergency Assistance, contact our office at (650) 968-0836 during regular business hours.

The Changing Demographics of People in Need of Safety Net Services

Martha is a 61-year old woman, with no family in this area, who has had a contract for teaching at a local community college. While she made $12,000 each quarter she still found herself struggling to pay for rent, utilities and food. She was embarrassed to both acknowledge the need and then actually to seek safety-net services from CSA. But her living situation had become too stressful to stand on pride. CSA assisted with rental assistance and Martha does access our Food & Nutrition Center. Now, however, her contract to teach has ended and, while stable for a way, she now has to look for a new job.

Sam is a married man with 2 children in grammar school. He worked as a Software Engineer until laid off and is now having a difficult time finding a new job. The family income had been from his unemployment insurance and his wife’s job. Unfortunately, now, she has been laid off, too. They have already exhausted their savings and they still have the mortgage on the house but are unsure how much longer they can hold unto it. CSA has assisted them with financial rental and utility assistance and with access to our Food & Nutrition Center to help stabilize their crisis while they try to find new jobs.