San Jose woman's "emergency room" aims to keep people out of homelessness

The latest Point-in-Time numbers show that of nearly 11,000 unsheltered people in Santa Clara County, almost 60% became unhoused for the first time.

To bring those numbers down, a South Bay woman has created what she calls an "emergency room" for people facing eviction.

"It's the Santa Clara County Eviction Emergency Room, where anyone can call," said Shannon Clark of Havensafe, her San Jose-based nonprofit.

Volunteers answer calls from people desperate for help. Many callers are single parents on the brink of homelessness.

"A lot of people are really surprised to hear that there are millions of dollars of assistance out there to cover people's rent when they're in crisis," she said.

Clark started Havensafe in 2024, after she had sold her medical device design firm.

She was volunteering at CityTeam and Recovery Cafe in San Jose and met an elderly man who had lost his job and left his home unable to make rent.

"And he found himself wandering the streets all night just in a state of shock that homelessness would ever happen to him." Clark recalled.

She asked if he realized he had options.

"'Did you know that evictions take 40 days? There's a lot of opportunities to make payment plans?'" she remembered asking. "He wasn't aware of any of this information."

At Havensafe, people learn of their options. When they call, a software program searches a large database, and gives each person a customized plan of financial, legal and employment resources.

Havensafe fundraises to provide financial help in cases where clients' cannot get emergency assistance elsewhere.

Case workers come alongside and guide callers to follow through on their plans.

Clark explained, "They're actively experiencing depression, anxiety, really having the worst moment of their lives. They just need a hand to reach out to them like a loving family member would."

A hand like Jenny Useche's. A single mother, Useche came to Havensafe last year after losing her job.

"It's really heavy, especially since you're just one income. It's hard, it's really hard," Usesche said.

She sought rental assistance, but as luck would have it, she applied for a job at the nonprofit and now works as one of its case workers.

"It warms my heart every single time," she said. "I see those families through with them getting assistance and telling me, 'Thank you so much!'"

Clark said Havensafe served more than 1,200 people last year and kept more than 96% of them from sliding into homelessness.

Naitri Jadeja, Clark's longtime friend and Havensafe board member, is inspired by what she has built. She's an example of how one determined person can make a difference.

"One of the biggest lessons that I've learned from her is not having that perfectionist attitude towards making a difference and just finding something that you care about and getting involved in whatever way you can," Jadeja said.

The Havensafe hotline for help is 650-67HAVEN, or 650-674-2836.

Clark told residents not to wait until receiving an eviction notice to call and to call when one thinks they are not going to be able to pay rent.

For empowering Santa Clara County residents avoid homelessness through Havensafe, this week's CBS News Bay Area ICON Award goes to Shannon Clark.