Family Supportive Housing provides temporary housing and supportive services to approximately 180 families every year. Its San Jose Family Shelter is the only shelter in Santa Clara County that exclusively serves single – and two-parent families with children.
They can accommodate up to 35 families at a time for up to 90 days. The Association of Bay Area Governments has labeled 84 percent of Silicon Valley rental units unaffordable for low – or moderate-income households.
For many who live paycheck to paycheck, Silicon Valley’s lack of affordable housing puts them out onto the streets. Emergency shelter, food, clothing, transportation, laundry and personal hygiene are some of the critical needs the shelter provides each family.
They also provide counseling, housing and employment referrals, money management assistance, healthcare services, workshops, parenting classes and supportive services for children.
For three years, Plumbers, Steamfitters, and HVAC-R Service Technicians Local 393, San Jose, Calif., has sponsored a monthly meal program at the San Jose Family Shelter, where members prepare, cook and serve a meal for the families.
Erica Valentine, the Political and Communications Director for Local 393, brought her organizing and volunteer coordination expertise to the Local. This is Local 393’s most popular event and hundreds of volunteers have signed up to help, she said.
Local 393 also provides gifts for every child and adult, as well as community learning gifts for children.
“A lot of our community partners not only rely on but depend on us,” Local 393 Business Manager Eric Mussynski said. “When there is a shortage of volunteers during the holidays, we are at the front lines to feed the homeless, make food boxes and do whatever it takes to support our community.”
Every year, Local 393 members vote to allocate funds to provide monthly meals for families in transition.
Campaign for Secure Future program
Valentine oversees Local 393’s Campaign for a Secure Future program, which requires each apprentice to complete three hours of community service per semester.
Valentine assigns an apprentice to manage and run each event to mimic the role of a foreman on a jobsite.
“UA Local 393’s Campaign for a Secure Future is a unique program with a three-prong approach: to give back and support the communities that we work in, to provide an opportunity for apprentices to take on leadership roles, such as a foreman at the volunteer event, which provides them the ability to manage time, sequence of work and communication skills and provide apprentices of all classifications and levels to develop solidarity,” Mussynski said.
Ryan Jones, a 17-year member has taken on the superintendent role at the San Jose Family Shelter.
“A lot of the apprentices are early in their careers, so they’re not necessarily going to get that chance out in the field, so this gives them a little bit of experience,” Jones said. “It’s a good bonding experience for the members as well.”
Jones hopes apprentices will continue to get involved in community service as they go on to become journeymen. He appreciates the requirement of service hours and hopes other local unions will adopt similar requirements and get involved in their communities.
“We’re doing it with our union Brothers and Sisters outside of work, and we’re giving back, so it’s fun,” Jones said. “And we get to see the looks on the faces of the families we’re helping.”
Other Volunteer Opportunities
The family shelter is just one of the many ways Local 393 gives back to the community.
Walk a Mile in Their Shoes is another major community event the Local participates in every year to help raise funds and awareness about sexual assault and domestic violence.
With roughly 100 participants, Local 393 has had the largest presence every year.
“The events we hold within our jurisdiction range from food banking to political walks to Christmas in the Park,” Mussynksi said. “Last year, we held more than 50 events, and this year, we will hold the same or more.”
