3/21/23 Item# 8
From: Cindi Hunter
To: Clerk
Subject: City Council Agenda Item 8. 23-179
Date: Tuesday, March 21, 2023 8:21:34 PM
To: City of Santa Clara, City Council
Re: Public Hearing: Substantial Amendment to the FY2021 Annual Action Plan to Allocate $1,604,104 in Federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Grant Funds from the HOME American Rescue Plan Program and Approve Related Budget Amendment Dear City Councilmembers,
My name is Cynthia Hunter and I'm the Director of Programs and Policy at Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence. We'd like to thank the City of Santa Clara for prioritizing survivors of domestic violence in the HOME ARP Allocation Plan.
NDS has helped thousands of survivors and families move out of crisis and violence into safety, stability, and self-sufficiency. Formerly The Woman's Alliance (WOMA) founded in 1971, hotline calls were initially answered in a garage in San Jose, and in 1977 WOMA opened the first bilingual English / Spanish domestic violence shelter in the United States.
WOMA became Next Door Solutions (NDS) in 1986 and remains grounded in service to our diverse community in Santa Clara County and the City of Santa Clara. We provide more than 2,500 adult and child victims annually with survivor-defined services including shelter, housing assistance, legal advocacy, crisis intervention, risk assessment, and safety planning, case management, flexible financial assistance, support groups, mental health services and community-based prevention programs to provide education and awareness on domestic violence, its effects on individuals, youth, and families.
NDS' Domestic Violence Housing First program provides flexible financial support to keep survivors and their children housed, meet their basic needs and prevent homelessness due to domestic violence for low or extremely low income residents of the City of Santa Clara, which aligns with the City's goals, and HUD's objectives and outcomes.
We'd also like to thank City Staff for prioritizing the needs of survivors of domestic violence in the HOME ARP Allocation Plan. We appreciate the ongoing support to meet the needs of the most vulnerable residents in the City of Santa Clara.
Cynthia Hunter
Director of Programs and Policy
Pronouns: She/Her
234 E Gish Rd, Ste 200
San Jose, CA 95112
(408) 501-7550
24/7 Crisis Hotline: 408-279-2962
www.nextdoorsolutions.org
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