Community Partners
Everyone loves cleaner parks. But our greatest impact is delivered through our mobilization of The Neighborhood Hands Community: a growing collection of nonprofit, private, and public sector partners who together provide efficient, convenient, and comfortable access to essential resources, services, and social capital for unhoused and very low-income neighbors before, during, and after park cleaning activities.
The United Effort Organization - Housing Services
Joining us every program since October 2024, The United Effort Organization provides comprehensive and integrated services to find affordable housing, public assistance programs, resources, and mentors. They take a "whole person advocacy" approach to understanding the needs and goals of each client, and then work with folks to navigate the complexities of housing and benefits applications and determine a path towards self-sufficiency.
A nonprofit startup like us, you can read more about The United Effort Organization in the Mercury News.
A nonprofit startup like us, you can read more about The United Effort Organization in the Mercury News.
Downtown Streets Team - Transitional Employment and Case Management
Our no-barrier homeless outreach program provides step one for those seeking a path back to long-term employment. Through our partners at Downtown Streets Team -- who provide steps two and three via transitional employment and case management services -- participants have another path to exit homelessness.
LaborMax Staffing - Transitional Employment
LaborMax Staffing is a construction-focused transitional employer that offers short-term contracts, free PPE, and connection to long-term jobs (both union and non-union). Now joining us every program, they had 48 individuals sign up for job interviews at our February 2025 programs alone!
Loaves & Fishes Family Kitchen - 175 Packaged Hot Meals and Bottled Water
To face the enormous mountain that is climbing out of homelessness, one first needs energy. Enter the incredible Loaves & Fishes Family Kitchen. This inimitable nonprofit partner delivers 112 packaged meals and cases of water to our program every single program.
Open Doors To Future Possibilities - Mental Health Consulting and Bomba Socks
Open Doors to Future Possibilities offers mental health consulting at every program. Through consistency, listening, and relationship formation, they build trust and rapport with residents whose experiences on the streets often leave them with trauma and other mental health challenges that should not be faced alone.
Good Karma Bikes - Free Bikes and Repairs
Access to transportation is the single biggest factor helping people hold a job, keep appointments, and in many cases, avoid homelessness. So Good Karma Bikes (GKB) provides free bike repairs (and occasionally, free bikes!) to our neighbors every program.
Left photo below: Joe recently brought GKB a bike that was too far gone to save, so they hooked him up with a Specialized Rockhopper!
Right photo below: Richard recently had a Cannondale with a broken derailleur hanger, so GKB granted him a refurbished Specialized Hardrock! If Joe and Richard hadn't met GKB at our party-in-the-park, they likely wouldn't have a cost-effective way to start traversing their respective paths to stable living.
Left photo below: Joe recently brought GKB a bike that was too far gone to save, so they hooked him up with a Specialized Rockhopper!
Right photo below: Richard recently had a Cannondale with a broken derailleur hanger, so GKB granted him a refurbished Specialized Hardrock! If Joe and Richard hadn't met GKB at our party-in-the-park, they likely wouldn't have a cost-effective way to start traversing their respective paths to stable living.
Vibes & Smiles - Clothes, Hygiene Packs, Dental Products, Music, and More
The incredible team at Vibes & Smiles isn't new to Neighborhood Hands (they've been with us every program since April 2023), but are hugely deserving of a million thanks for their dedication and unique ability to coordinate in-kind donations for unhoused neighbors from individuals and corporate partners. In 2024 alone, they secured over $138,000 worth of clothing, sleeping bags, blankets, suits from Indochino (which have helped neighbors get jobs on numerous occasions!), hygiene products, and much, much more.
Also a nonprofit startup, please contact Vibes & Smiles if you'd like to donate in-kind items to our unhoused volunteers.
Also a nonprofit startup, please contact Vibes & Smiles if you'd like to donate in-kind items to our unhoused volunteers.
Project WeHope's Dignity On Wheels - Mobile Showers
Joining us every program as of August 2024, WeHope's Dignity On Wheels provides mobile showers for our unhoused volunteers after park cleaning.
Eye 4 Equity (Stanford University & Zenni Optical) - Free Glasses & Vision Care
Joining us on a monthly basis as of January 2025, Eye 4 Equity connects unhoused people to vision care by providing free reading and prescription eyeglasses, as well as referrals to optometric providers.
Stanford University's Google Developer Student Club - HavenLink AI
A 2025 addition to our program, Stanford University's Google Developer Student Club (GDSC) is developing an AI-powered application, HavenLink, that connects people in SCC shelters to nonprofit resources in real time. GDSC has chosen Neighborhood Hands as the initial testing ground for user feedback, and we are thrilled to help facilitate their work.
Moda Salon - Haircuts
Attending every program as of January 2025, Mode Salon provides free haircuts!
Humane Society Silicon Valley - Pet Food and Supplies
Humane Society Silicon Valley provides pet food every program and spray / neutering / vaccines as their mobile clinic schedules allow.
Santa Clara County Public Defender Office - Legal Services
Santa Clara County PDO provides legal services (including on-site expungement!) to help remove barriers to housing and long-term employment for our volunteers as schedules allow. We can't say enough good things about the folks at SCC PDO and how important their work is to our community!
Santa Clara County Family Health Plan - Medicare & Medi-Cal Enrollment
Joining us for the first time in November 2024 and as schedules allow, we are thrilled to have SCFHP help enroll our participants in Medi-Cal and Medicare.
County of Santa Clara Behavioral Health Services - Harm ReduQion Project
This Santa Clara County public health program provides harm reduction services for people experiencing substance use disorder, including free narcan, naloxone, training on how to use it, and more. Our program's connection to these resources has saved lives on multiple occasions.
County of Santa Clara Behavioral Health Services - Navigator Program
The County of Santa Clara's Behavioral Health Navigator Program provides personalized assistance through peer support, information, and connection to local resources. We are thrilled to have them whenever their schedules allow.
American Assistance - Free Phones and 4G Service
American Assistance provides a literal lifeline in the form of free phones and 4G service (through AT&T) for anyone on government benefits! (Why is this so important? If someone has lost or can't afford a phone and service, they can't be processed in Santa Clara County's housing system. Lacking a phone and service is a very real barrier to housing and employment!)
EnTouch Wireless - Free Phones and Service
Similar to American Assistance, EnTouch Wireless provides free phones and service to neighbors on government assistance.
Unhoused Response Group (URG) - Clothing, Books, Hygiene, and More
Unhoused Response Group provides a plethora of clothing, reading materials, batteries, hygiene related supplies (including a mobile shaving station!) and other essentials, as well as top-tier advocacy for those who want it.
Team Jesus - Light Breakfast, Coffee and Spirituality
Regulars at Neighborhood Hands since early 2020, Team Jesus is a staple at our program. Their light breakfast is legendary and spirituality available to anyone who wants it. (NOTE: It is never forced on anyone.)
Life Rescue Ministries - Assortment of Essential Donations
Joining us on the first Saturday of the month as schedules allow, Life Rescue Ministries brings an assortment of essential donations, including blankets, food, coffee, clothing, and much more.
Tone Yao Lee Homeless Project - Assortment of Essential Donations
Joining us quarterly, the Tone Yao Lee Homeless Project provides youthful energy and an assortment of essential donations, including sleeping bags, care packages (hygiene supplies, tampons, socks, underwear, nonperishable foods, etc.), shoes, and clothing.
DJ Toon-in - Live DJ Music
Joining us monthly, DJ Toon-In (a.k.a. Yari) makes our party-in-the-park come ALIVE with her bumping beats! No one gets the Neighborhood Hands Community dancing and vibing like DJ Toon-in!
White Cap - Pallets of Bottled Water
If you're unsheltered, you don't have easy access to fresh drinking water. So White Cap has stepped up and now donates pallets of bottled water so our unhoused volunteers can take bottles to-go after the program.
Noah's NY Bagels - 200 Bagels
Instead of throwing away what's left at the end of the day on Friday, we happily re-route Noah's leftovers straight to the park on Saturday morning!
Starbucks - Coffee
The generous folks at the Starbucks at 695 Coleman Ave. provide 130 free coffees every program. For this we are very grateful!
Target - Health & Safety Supplies
The Target at 533 Coleman Ave. provides first aid and other health and safety supplies for our Information Canopy so folks can be attended to as needed. Because hey, scrapes are occasionally part of getting one's hands' dirty!
Adopt-A-Park and Home Depot - Tools and Resource Fair Infrastructure
We can't clean the park without park tools! Big thanks to the City of San Jose's Adopt-A-Park Program and Home Depot for providing everything from shovels to rakes to tables and more.
City of San Jose's Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Services Department, Guadalupe River Park Conservancy, & Bills Brush Works - Operations Support
We owe a special thanks to the City of San Jose's Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Services Department (PRNS), Guadalupe River Park Conservancy, and Bills Brush Works, who provide operations support every program.
Park Impact
While we are unabashedly a people first organization, our community takes great pride in restoring unmaintained parks and surrounding areas. See below for a few before, during, and after pictures from recent program dates at Guadalupe Gardens.
On a typical Saturday, we clear an estimated 22,000 lbs of park debris and trash from Guadalupe Gardens and surrounding areas! Don't believe us? Come see for yourself!!
