South Bay pair helping unhoused residents rebuild their lives

By Sharon Chin

The number of unhoused people living in Santa Clara County has soared 63% in the last decade, according to county point-in-time counts. Now a pair of women is leading a “united effort” to help people rebuild.

People living on the streets of Mountain View line up to get a helping hand from caring volunteers like Wei E.

“When I walked to work In 2018, I saw people sleeping on the street and I was shocked,” said the retired attorney.

She began serving the unhoused at the nonprofit, Hope’s Corner, where she met fellow volunteer Claire Hubel. While cleaning the showers, they would chat with the unsheltered clients and help tackle their problems, such as finding transportation, or obtaining a free phone.

“We just learned about different things that people needed, and it just kind of snowballed from there,” explained Hubel.

When the showers closed during the 2020 pandemic, E and Hubel took their free walk-in services to Hope Corner’s parking lot. Later, they co-founded the nonprofit, The United Effort Organization.

Every Wednesday and Saturday morning, volunteers help clients with everything from securing free bus passes to applying for housing and jobs.

“We want them to know we are there,” E said. “We’ll go the extra mile to find the right resources.”

The nonprofit has helped more than 220 people in Santa Clara County find housing, thanks to its one-on-one volunteer support and free online tools, which include a database that daily updates affordable housing options in the county.

Another program allows you to check if you’re eligible for a host of benefits like free food, transportation, and mental health and medical care.

“We try to encourage people to be in the driving seat, but we provide support and then we cheer them on. And then we’re really happy when things turn out,” Hubel said. 

Things did turn out for Charlie, who declined to use her last name. Several years ago, Charlie lost her job, got very sick, and wound up in a shelter. 

She volunteered at The United Effort, where Wei and Claire were her mentors. Today, Charlie lives in an apartment, and works as a part-time client manager for The United Effort.

Charlie also leads a grant-funded team nicknamed “Charlie’s Angels” that keeps unsheltered people connected to the county for services.

“I feel grateful for all the things Wei and Claire have given me,” Charlie said. “It gives me more confidence in helping out people.”

In all, the nonprofit’s empowered more than 2,000 people on their path to self-sufficiency.

“We love our clients. They’re vulnerable, resilient,” said Hubel.

“They inspire me to keep going,” E added.

The two are seeking more volunteers to help in their critical work. 

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