Press Releases
EHC LifeBuilders Holds Flag Dedication Ceremony in Honor of Homeless Veterans
Media Alert/Photo Opportunity. Thursday, August 19, 2010, 11:30am - 12:30pmEHC LifeBuilders’ Boccardo Reception Center, 2011 Little Orchard Street, San Jose, CA
Ceremony to commemorate the first-ever installation of an American flag and 20-foot pole at Santa Clara County’s largest homeless shelter and service center. The ceremony will be held in honor of the 992 homeless veterans living on the streets of Santa Clara County on any given night. It will also include a formal dedication and 21-gun salute by the American Legion Color Guard.
EHC LifeBuilders to hold Homeless Memorial to Honor 67 Men and Women who Died on the Streets in 2009
Agency notes the average age of those who died was 49 years old compared to the national average of 78 years old
Santa Clara County, Calif., December 7, 2009
EHC LifeBuilders, the leading provider of homeless shelter and services in Santa Clara County, announced today that it will memorialize 67 men and women who died while homeless over the past year. The list includes men and women from throughout Santa Clara County who died on the streets, in emergency shelter, or transitional shelter and is compiled with input from the Santa Clara County Coroner’s Office and local agencies working with the homeless.
EHC LifeBuilders to Open Cold Weather Shelters for the Homeless in Gilroy and Sunnyvale on November 30th
Agency reports a 10% increase in emergency shelter stays compared to the same time last year
Santa Clara County, Calif., November 25, 2009
EHC LifeBuilders, the leading provider of homeless shelter and services in Santa Clara County, today announced that it will open its Cold Weather Shelter Program at the National Guard Armories in Sunnyvale and Gilroy on Monday, November 30, 2009 at 6:00 p.m. The seasonal shelter program will operate through the end of March, providing 250 homeless individuals with nightly emergency shelter, food, and support. Last year, EHC served 3,800 individuals and 60,000 meals during the duration of the program and expects an increase in numbers this year due to the on-going economic crisis.
EHC LifeBuilders Awarded 2009 LiveOps Corporate Grant
Grant Will Help Leading Homeless Emergency Services Organization Provide Vocational and Employment Training to Community’s Homeless
Santa Clara County, Calif., October 21, 2009
LiveOps announced today that EHC LifeBuilders, a provider of homeless emergency services in California’s Santa Clara County, is the recipient of a LiveOps Foundation grant. The grant will support the development of EHC LifeBuilders’ new Streets Team program. The program involves daily vocational training activities to increase employability, and promote stability and self-sufficiency for 30 homeless community members. EHC LifeBuilders’ goal for the program is to secure employment for 100% of Streets Team graduating members.
City and County Allocate Funding from American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to Local Organizations to Help Combat Homelessness
Santa Clara County, Calif., September 16, 2009
This week, the San Jose City Council and the County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors approved the allocations of $4,128,763 and $717,484 respectively, to community organizations help combat homelessness in Santa Clara County. The funds, which come from the Federal Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP), a component of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), will go to EHC LifeBuilders, Community Technology Alliance, and Sacred Heart Community Services Agency, which has formed a consortium with Inn Vision, St. Joseph’s Family Center, and West Valley Community Services Agency. Services will become available to the public on October 1, 2009.
EHC LifeBuilders to Close Seasonal Shelters at Armories
San Jose, Calif., March 30, 2009
EHC LifeBuilders, the largest provider of homeless emergency services in Santa Clara County, today announced that it will close its seasonal Shelter Outreach Centers at 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 31, 2009. Since last November, the Centers have provided over 3,700 men, women and children with critical, life-saving shelter and services during the harsh winter months. The program is run out of the National Guard Armories in Sunnyvale and Gilroy and the Boccardo Regional Reception Center in San Jose. The agency reports a 13% increase in the number of people served at the Gilroy and Sunnyvale armories and points to the economic crisis for the increase.
EHC LifeBuilders Appoints Non-Profit Veteran Jenny Niklaus as Chief Executive Officer
San Jose, Calif., February 23, 2009
EHC LifeBuilders, the largest provider of homeless shelter and services in Santa Clara County, today announced the appointment of Jenny Niklaus as Chief Executive Officer. The appointment of Niklaus concludes a nine-month search by the agency’s Board of Directors to identify its next leader. Niklaus brings 20 years of program and executive leadership experience in the non-profit sector, having worked throughout her career for organizations focused on homelessness, poverty, and the prevention of violence against women and children. Most recently, she served as Director of Senior Community Services at Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County where she managed the day-to-day operations and fundraising activities for a multi-million dollar senior services center cluster.
EHC LifeBuilders to Hold Memorial for 82 Men and Women Who Died While Homeless in Santa Clara County
San Jose, Calif., December 16, 2008
EHC LifeBuilders, the largest provider of homeless shelter and services in Santa Clara County, announced today that it will memorialize 82 men and women who died while homeless or in housing for formerly homeless over the past year. For almost a decade, EHC has compiled this list working with local homeless providers and the Santa Clara County Coroner’s office. The list includes individuals who died while living on the street or emergency shelter, as well as individuals who died while living in transitional or permanent housing for the formerly homeless. The list indicates a 26% increase in the number of street deaths in 2008, compared to last year.
The Two Largest Silicon Valley Homeless Service Providers Announce the Opening of One-Stop Homeless Prevention Centers
San Jose, Calif., December 3, 2008
InnVision and EHC LifeBuilders, the two largest providers of homeless services in Silicon Valley, today announced the scheduled opening of two One-Stop Homeless Prevention Centers. The Centers will be housed at San Jose’s two largest homeless centers, InnVision’s Georgia Travis Center and EHC LifeBuilders’ Boccardo Reception Center, and will provide hundreds of homeless men, women, and children with easy access to much needed medical, employment, benefit and housing services.
EHC LifeBuilders to Open Seasonal Shelters in Gilroy and Sunnyvale Tonight
San Jose, Calif., December 1, 2008
EHC LifeBuilders, the largest provider of homeless shelter and service in Santa Clara County, today announced its Shelter Outreach Centers will open tonight at 6:00 p.m. at the National Guard Armories in Sunnyvale and Gilroy. The annual winter shelter program will operate through the end of March, providing 250 homeless individuals with nightly emergency shelter, food, and support. People staying at the shelter receive dinner, basic sleeping accommodations, and breakfast. This year, the program will be enhanced by on-site social workers and transportation to daytime employment, housing, and clinical services. These daytime services will be provided at the newly opened One-Stop Homeless Prevention Center located at EHC LifeBuilders’ Boccardo Reception Center in San Jose.
EHC LifeBuilders to Help Homeless and Low-Income Individuals Register to Vote at Local Emergency Shelter
San Jose, Calif., September 19, 2008
September 22-27, 2008 is National Homeless and Low Income Voter Registration Week. The event, sponsored by EHC LifeBuilders, is part of a national effort that seeks to engage homeless individuals and low-income voters in civic participation—particularly concerning voting rights. The event is also part of continuing efforts by the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) and EHC LifeBuilders to register and mobilize low income and homeless people to vote. NCH has sponsored the “You Don’t Need a Home to Vote” campaign since 1992. More than 50 organizations held events in 2007.
Back to School Party: Clothing Homeless Children for Success on the First Day of School
San Jose, Calif., August 11, 2008
This Thursday from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., My New Red Shoes and EHC LifeBuilders will partner to bring a smile to the homeless children of Santa Clara County by holding a “Back-to-School Party” at the Sobrato Family Living Center, located at 1509 Agnew Road in Santa Clara, CA. My New Red Shoes volunteers will distribute hand-sewn gift bags which include a $50 gift card from Old Navy for all children and a brand new pair of shoes for children aged 5 to 11. The gift bag distribution is part of My New Red Shoes’ Clothing for Confidence program, which provides Bay Area homeless children with brand new clothing so they may greet the new school year with dignity and pride.
EHC Lifebuilders Extends Hours at San Jose Homeless Shelter in Response to Heat Wave
San Jose, Calif., July 8, 2008
EHC LifeBuilders, the largest provider of homeless emergency services in Santa Clara County, today announced that the Boccardo Reception Center will remain open for 24-hours a day this Tuesday through Thursday for local residents needing respite from the heat wave.
Sobrato House Youth Center Celebrates Opening: New Facility Offers Housing, Services to Homeless Teens
San Jose, Calif., April 10, 2008
The first multi-service center combining emergency shelter and transitional housing services for youth in Santa Clara County opened its doors with a community celebration on Thursday, April 10. EHC LifeBuilders and its partners recognized supporters and donors at an afternoon ceremony at the Sobrato House Youth Center on Third and William Streets in Downtown San Jose, followed by tours guided by teens and adults in the EHC LifeBuilders shelter programs.
EHC Lifebuilders to Close Cold Weather Shelters for the Season
San Jose, Calif., March 28, 2008
EHC LifeBuilders, the largest provider of homeless emergency services in Santa Clara County, today announced that it will close its Cold Weather Shelter Program for the season the morning of Monday, March 31st.
EHC LifeBuilders Receives $2 Million Grant from a Consortium of Community Partners led by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation
San Jose, Calif., March 4, 2008
EHC LifeBuilders, the largest provider of homeless emergency services in Santa Clara County, today announced that it has received a $2M+ grant from a consortium of community partners, led by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Last fall, EHC LifeBuilders underwent a significant restructuring to better meet the needs of Santa Clara County´s homeless. Now it challenges the community to build upon the philanthropic momentum created by the grant in an effort to preserve and expand critical homeless services in the county.