In the shadows of city parks, on bus benches and in the corners of parking lots, the crisis of homelessness plays out daily—raw, visible, and yet often misunderstood. Homelessness is not just a social issue; it is the manifestation of a system stretched thin, where healthcare, housing, employment, substance abuse, income disparity and domestic violence, all converge.
The League of Women Voters of Fremont, Newark and Union City will take a closer look at homelessness at its May 3 meeting. The public is invited as guest speaker Vivian Wan, CEO of Abode Services, talks about causes, impacts and solutions.
Abode Services, a Fremont-based nonprofit with a housing-first approach, has been working on the front lines of this issue since 1988. It has grown from a small but passionate organization into one of the most respected housing and service providers in California.
“We know that permanent housing, combined with supportive services, is the most effective way to end homelessness,” says Wan. “The causes are complex—mental health, systemic racism, poverty—but the solution always begins with housing. Without it, people can’t stabilize their lives.” Abode’s programs, which have expanded throughout Bay Area counties, have helped thousands transition from the streets to homes.
Invisible working homeless
Perhaps one of the most jarring realities is that many homeless individuals are employed. They stock shelves, serve coffee, care for seniors. What they earn is not enough to live on. In major cities, the hourly wage needed to afford a modest one-bedroom apartment can be more than double minimum wage. As housing costs soar and wages stagnate, the line between housed and unhoused gets thinner every day.
Faces of a complex crisis
There is no single face of homelessness. Veterans grappling with untreated PTSD, young people aging out of foster care, single mothers fleeing domestic violence, LGBTQ+ youth rejected by their families and workers holding down jobs that pay less than a living wage—all find themselves without a place to call home. Each story is unique, but they are all threaded together by systemic weaknesses.
“People assume if you’re homeless, you’re lazy or addicted. That’s a dangerous myth,” says Wan. “We need to be able to see homelessness not as a moral failure of individuals but as a systemic failure. And until we do, we’ll be treating symptoms, not causes.”
The League meeting takes place on Saturday, May 3 at Niles Discovery Church in Fremont. Admission is free. Those who want to help fill the Free Little Pantry at Niles Discovery Church are welcome to bring unexpired non-perishable food. Please no books, clothing, household items, or fresh or home-prepared food.
Meeting on homelessness
Saturday, May 3
10am
Niles Discovery Church
36600 Niles Blvd., Fremont
lwvfnuc.org
lwvea.clubexpress.org
