We did surveys with our customers, about 150. We also do focus groups, and we did a survey of other nonprofit organizations that serve lowincome people. Damian we dowhile you talk, we do have some video of your agency and the folks you help there. Im sorry, go ahead. Rachel so, we do a lot of direct services, but we also do community organizing. And so, the results of our research showed that one of the big issues facing lowincome people is being able to pay high rents that we all kind of deal with here in santa clara county, especially when you have rather low wages. And so, one of the ways that we try to combat that is that we understand thats an issue about housing policy, and what kinds of housing get built, about how we protect renters, about how we fund Affordable Housing. And so, we do a lot of grassroots organizing in addition to the service work that you see on the screen in order to try to create a more socially just community. Damian did something stick out that you said, wow, i didnt know that, or are we learning things that we kind of already knew, but this kind of puts a stamp on it and says, yes, its actually happening . Rachel i think that, for the most parti was a graduate student at stanford, and a lot of the work that we did on poverty, the results were that housing is a major cost. And if we could make housing cheaper, we could decrease poverty. So, for example, the work at the Stanford Center for poverty and inequality tells us that if we could assume low housing costs as part of peoples budgets, we could decrease the poverty rate by 7 . Thats a big deal, right . And we knew that. But i think whats really nice about Touching Base with the community is that we get personal stories of the situation and how its affected people. And we also get verification, that its not just numbers, its also peoples lives. So, we had about 27 of our clients that we surveyed said housing was the number one biggest challenge in their life, and 44 ranked it as a major challenge in their life. Thats a big deal. Ninetyfive percent of nonprofits we talked to said that Affordable Housing was inadequate to meet the needs of the community. And over half of them also ranked housing as the number one issue facing their clients. Damian and these are families who are probably working two jobs, both husband and wife, trying to just make ends meet and put that roof over their heads. Rachel exactly, theyrewe pulledat our event, we pulled some actual cases that we serve, people with rental assistance and deposit assistance when they need to move. And you can have a family thats a nurse and a construction worker, both working fulltime, bringing home about 5,500 a month. And itswhen your rent is 3,000 a month, you dont have a lot of wiggle room there, right . So yeah, a lot of working families, this isits not justits not just people who are unemployed. Damian i mean, do folks in other parts of the country kind oftheir jaws drop when they see what were facing here . Because we were talking before the lights came on that, you know, whats happening here is not happening in alabama or other parts like that. Rachel exactly, so, one of the cool things about this federal program is that it allows the local community to decide what to do with federal antipoverty funds. And yeah, somewheretheres widespread poverty in places like alabama and missouri, but they have very different problems. It might not be housing. It might be you have to drive 40 miles to the nearest Grocery Store and you dont have transportation, things like that, right, where we dont necessarily experience that. So yeah, i think anyone i know who moves here, just the first apartment they see, they walk right out the door because theyre having sticker shock, right . Damian lets try modesto and see what that commutes like. Rachel yeah, theyre like, this for 2,000, what . You know . Damian and we saw the images, the video of your agency there. I mean, thats, you know, the core of what sacred heart does on a daily basis. It tears my heart when i see those images when im there personally. Whats it like for you, yeah . Rachel you know what . I find it to be a really hopeful place. People are really grateful for our services that we provide. And theyre really, really powerful when they join our political advocacy work. So, in the fall, we won renters protections as part of a coalition. We won measure a, which will be 900 million to build Affordable Housing to really get at the root causes. And so, we meet people with their immediate needs when theyre in an emergency. We just did a ton of flood relief work. But we also ask those people and invite those people to become part of the deeper political solution. Damian lets talk about that in the next segment. This is Sacred Heart Community services agency, there is a web address for more information. Well be back and delve more into this topic when we come visit this. [music] Community Services agency. So, now that we see the problem, so its housing, its employment, are there solutions . Or now that you have your research, is that something we can take to washington, or to the stakeholders here, the big corporations and say, heres a problem, how can we collaboratively fix it . Rachel absolutely. So we doa lot of our policy work is right here, its local because all politics is local. So, we work a lot with the county supervisors in the city of san jose. But absolutely, and even to keep the funds that were getting from the federal government, we are a part of a wider coalition of Community Action agencies that advocates for that program and why its so important. So yeah, so our next step, i just mentioned we passed measure a, which funds Affordable Housing, but now we have to places to build it. And thats a lot harder because there are a lot of people who dont want a newer or bigger building in their neighborhood. And so, we need to educate people about why its so important, why Affordable Housing would be great neighbors, and ask them to come out and support those decisions for siting it. Damian and how affordable is Affordable Housing . Because i know when we talk about lowincome, there is a lowincome bracket and a very lowincome bracket now. Weve had to develop kind of a new rung there. But how affordable is Affordable Housing . Rachel so, when theyveim not an expert on Affordable Housing development damian as a percentage of your rachel yeah, when theywhen they do Affordable Housing, what they try to do it have people pay about 30 of their income towards their housing so that the rest can be used for their other basic needs. Very little Affordable Housing has been built in the county in the past, you know, 8, 10 years. San jose has been a real leader in that, but the other cities in the countymountain views done a very nice job, but other cities in the county can also step up toward that. Damian you mentioned the measures that weve passed. What gives you optimism . What makes you optimistic that, you know, we will right this ship, and there wont be as great a need as there is now . Rachel i think what gives me optimism, we had a big event on saturday, and 55 people showed up to learn more about this actual issue. And what give me optimism is the engagement of people who come and they say, this feels like a crisis, this is a problem. How can i help, how can i be involved . And our door is always open to activists who want to be involved, to being involved in coalitions if people findif people already have something going and they need more support, they need leadership development, all of that. Thats the part that makes me really optimistic, but i do think its directly proportional to how much people want to step out of their comfort zone and do that hard work of organizing and political advocacy. Damian you know, and a lot of that poverty is in the shadows of the googles, and the apples, and the samsungs. I mean, the disparity is just incredible. I dont think theres any other region in the country like there is in Silicon Valley. Damian yeah, and we try towe also try to do some education work at sacred heart so that people who might not be aware of it can come in and learn more, which was what our saturday event was about. But we have those events going on year round. And were happy if a corporation wants to come and volunteer, but also to learn more about the issues, and to learn more about what its like. We want to have that conversation with them. I would say, like in our flood relief, just to tell a story, we learned that a lot of families double up in their housing. So, youll get two or three or four families in one unit. Sometimes, it works out really well. I met a gentleman, it was four adults renting rooms, it seemed like everyone was pretty happy. But ive also heard stories of the, you know, single mom and her two kids living in a closet for 800 a month because thats what she can afford. And we can all imagine the stress and the difficulty of trying to raise your kids, and do their homework with them, and provide them safety and stability when youre in that kind of situation. Its very stressful. Damian during those floods, you were kind of the tip of the spear in trying to make things better for these families. But again, given those housing costs, they must have been difficult to really match folks with whatever was available out there. Rachel yeah, our goal was to provide enough money to really keep people from being homeless. So, either to cover their rent because theyre going to be paying two rents while theyre displaced, or to cover a new deposit, so. Damian all right. Well, again, this is Great Research by the Sacred Heart Community services agency. There is the web address for more information. Any final thoughts, rachel, before we let you go . Rachel if you feel like theres a housing crisis and you want to get involved, just know that sacred heart is a great place to come. Damian all right, great work. Thank you for coming on the show, all right. Rachel thanks for having me. And up next here on comunidad del valle, a message from mariachi vargas. Stay with us. All [speaking foreign language] male [speaking foreign language] male [speaking foreign language] damian this is the semillas project by the foundation for hispanic education. Adrian buenrostro is with the foundation. Well, hes a teacher over at the louis valdez Leadership Academy in san jose. Welcome to the show. Adrian buenrostro thank you, damian, for having us. Damian well, i mean, i think that the word says it all, semillas. And i can see where the foundation is going with this. But thats basically what youre doing with that, right, with the semillas project . Youre planting that seed. Tell ustell us about it. Adrian yeah, so were planting the seed. You know, the most important thing is allowing that opportunity for students to develop skills in the classroom and then, you know, of course creating this product for us to be able to showcase our, you know, work through our community. So, we designed the foundation, the foundation for hispanic education, at three schools to design a project that would involve the community, and also that it would have, like, a learning experience for them as well. So, the semillas, this year, we decided to create two video clips that involves the students, and as well the family members. So, basically we talk about how diabetes is affecting our community, our latino community, and how its impacting that negatively, and is growing, is a growing disease. So, what were doing now, what we created is this semillas event to fundraise funds for our graduating seniors every year. So, this is something that we hope to have every year to be able to support our lowincome families and our firstgeneration College Students to attend colleges. Damian what are the three schools . And talk about the demographics of those schools. Adrian yeah, so the three schools is the first one is Latino College prep, who was opened close to 17 years ago. I graduated from there, 2009. Damian oh, youve come back. Adrian yeah, i came back. So, graduated 09. And then we have also luis valdez Leadership Academy, who i was able to, along with the principal, jeff camarillo, we were able to establish a community by recruiting and knocking, you know, doors, and getting students involved to our schools. And then the third one is roberto cruz Leadership Academy, who was one of the founders for the National Hispanic university, then became the foundation for hispanic education. So, it goes back to the community, now it goes back to allowing and creating these environments to better assist our students. In our schools, we have close to 93 hispanic latino in our schools. I would say close to 85 in all our schools, firstgeneration College Students, the first one in their families to attend a college. So, were helping them with that, you know, preparing them for those sats, allowing them to take, you know, ap classes since theyre starting the tenth grade, you know, to be able to design the curriculum and the portfolio, that profile that schools want to see. Damian one thing that i was impressed with in talking to your principal, jeff camarillo, is thatwas the disciplinary rate at luis valdez Leadership Academy. And no suspensions, no expulsions. Either youre too lenient or the students are doing something right. My guess is that the students are doing something right, and it goes back to the leadership. Talk about what makes it work. Adrian yeah, so i think that theres several things. One of the things that i will say that is helping a lot, our community is a part, that we have an advisory. I think that a lot of our students, you know, a lot of our parents have two jobs. You know, theyre working a lot, theyre long hours, come home, theyre really tired, they dont really want to check in with students. And if they do, its something, you know, theyre justthey dont really concentrate on a specific subject. And plus our parents, unfortunately, they dont have the opportunity to get involved a lot in schools. Thats why our program is designed, we have poder de los padres, which is a class in the afternoons every wednesday where parents get involved, and they learn the same things that the students are learning on the monday lesson through advisory. Another thing, advisory. Every single student has an adviser. And basically, i serve as an adviser as well, so i have a group of 20 students, and i will be their adviser for the 4 years that theyre in school. So, we create this amazing familia, and were able to Work Together, create this amazing environment so if the students feel like, this is not my day, i feel down today, you know, the first person that they see is your adviser. You know, they know already your background, they know the areas of that youre concentrating, you know, areas of growth, they already know what colleges you wanted to go to. So all that, it makes an impact. And as well reflecting. So every student, you know, theyre growing. From 9 to 12, you know, theyre finding themselves, theyre finding their persona. So, what we do in school is recognizing that, recognizing that youre building that, and that youre going to make some mistakes. But as well, to that mistake, be able to be reflective. So, we have a reflective process. When students make a mistake, they have to make a public apology to the community. Damian now, i mean, that one on one interaction that youre talking about i think is crucial that a lot ofevery school should have. They just dont have the luxury of having that. So, the semillas project, does that involveis it the parental interaction . Or what specifically is the mission of that semillas . I know that we kind of talked about it a little bit there. Adrian yeah, so, the semillas, basically in our school, in luis valdez Leadership Academy and others, in Latino College, in roberto cruz, we have an aspect, and specifically in luis valdez, called actos. As we know, the namesake luis valdez, you know, a playwright, an amazing human being and activist. So, when we talked about the name of the school and having the name under his name, so he decided, lets add something about the arts, something about theater, something about acting, right . So, we added actos. Through actos, students were able to learn digital media, acting classes. You know, so then through that it became the semillas project. So, they designedthe students, you know, designed this video clip that relates to one of our students family members who was amputated due to diabetes. So, they brought this, you know, that piece, who it was vivid and it was live to this video clip, and then we showcased it in our semillas fundraiser. Damian wow, that is great. I want to hear from your students. If youd like more information, this is the semillas project by the foundation for hispanic education over in east san jose. There is a web address for more information. Well be back. Thank you so much for what youre doing. Adrian no problem, my pleasure. Comunidad on que pasa. [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] damian and our saludos to those celebrating a special day, felicidades. [music] damian and here is our contact information. You can follow me on twitter, my handle is newsdamian. Also, pick up a copy of El Observador newspaper, and support your bilingual weeklies all across the area. We thank you, once again, for sharing a part of your sunday morning with us on comunidad del valle. Were going to leave you with a recent interview with Silicon Valley philanthropist john sobrato. Damian the name that is synonymous with philanthropy, john sobrato is on the board of the National Hispanic university foundation, the Latino College prep academy, and the cristo rey high school, all in the south bay. Hes our guest here on the show. Welcome to the show, sir. John sobrato damian. Damian what is it, sir, that inspires you, that motivates you to do your philanthropic work . John well, we were fortunate to start a real estate business, Development Business back in the late 60s, early 70s, long before it was known as Silicon Valley, so i guess we were in the right place at the right time. And so, we really feel since we have been able to be successful here that we ought to bewere obligated to share that success with the other folks in the community that could use a helping hand. Damian no, and i think its appreciated by all those folks. So, you were actually one of the pioneers who helped transition the valley of Hearts Delight into Silicon Valley. John yes, not the traffic. Damian well, it came with it. Now, we do have some artists rendition. Now, this is your latest endeavor, this is a donation to santa clara university. Talk about the plans there with the university. John all right. Were going to be starting construction in the fall of 2018 on whats going to be known as the sobrato campus for innovation and discovery. Itll be a huge building, 300,000 square feet, and probably 3 or 4 times larger than anything else on campus. And the whole purpose of it is to bring all the various disciplines that are taught across the campus in various silos intounder one roof where, you know, the engineering scientists, the biochemists, the nanoscience, i mean, all these various disciplines can Work Together on some of these really important world class problems. Educations changing today. Now, there needs to be a convergence of all these various disciplines in order to solve some of these big problems, things like, you know, worldwide poverty, energy sustainability. And theres no place on campus now where we can bring all these various disciplines together, and where the students can collaborate, Work Together as teams. And this stem as they call it, you know, science, technology, engineering, and math, in some schools include art and call it steam, but it is unique at santa clara. It will be unique at santa clara there because itll be taught in the undergraduate school. There are other universities that have a stem type educational curriculum, but its generally in their upper division, in their graduate division, so thisll be unique. Damian all right, congratulations, thats great, and its appreciated by the university, the entire south bay region. But is it the idea maybe at some point to inspire the next generation of philanthropists by the work that youre doing, maybe get them to give back this way youre giving back . John well, we think its important to give back, notyou know, we kind of focus the majority of our giving to Silicon Valley because thats where our business was successful. But we also think its important to give back to those institutions that kind of shaped our lives. In my case, i graduated from santa clara back in 1960. My son and his deceased wife graduated in 1983. My daughter sheri got her masters degree there in the 90s. My grandchildren graduated 5 or 6 years ago, so we got quite a long history of sobratos that have attended santa clara university, so we just think, you know, its important to give back to that institution that has shaped our lives, jesuit values. Damian sure, and so, that leads me to the cristo rey, your participation with cristo rey, and the other organizations and agencies and institutions in this valley. Sociali dont want to say social justice, but those who are in agencies into social reform and social justice, is that what the interest is with your family . John well, i think we like to empower individuals from lowincome, marginalized, disenfranchised, you know, atrisk populations. And that is pretty much the definition of the hispanic community, unfortunately. You know, about a third of our population in Silicon Valley lives below the poverty line. And its our belief that education is the surest way of povertyout of poverty. And as a consequence, we get involved with all sorts of different Charter Schools andbut i mean, cristo reys sort of a favorite of mine because we started that from the ground up. I got a bunch of my friends together about 4 or 5 years ago, and we raised some money, and i made a deal with the bishop of san jose on a closed Parochial School over at the five wounds parish. And so, we made a 30year lease on that school. And it only housed about 200 children when it was a Parochial School. And we have 350 now on campus just through the junior year. And we just finished a new building about 6 months ago, and we started another building a couple of months ago, and itll be a multipurpose building. And anyway, next year, when this next class comes in, itll be the first graduating class, well have 500 cristo rey students. And itll be the secondlargest Cristo Rey School of the 32 that are across the nation. Do you know how it work . You know, the kids go to school damian theyve been on the show. They dothey do some internships and whatnot. John absolutely, they when you see this symbol, you know youre watching television thats educational and informational. The more you know on nbc. This season on give, Celebrity Ambassadors visited smallbutmighty charities that are making a big difference. Youre going to make me cry [ laughs ] today, one of these ambassadors, jenna bush hager, takes a look back at her favorite moments. Its time to remember all the good things that happened on give. This season, on give, i was honored to be able to share the stories of awesome people from around the country who are dedicated to giving back. Today, on a special episode, im going to look back at my favorite moments