San Mateo County
Our Commitment to a Lasting Impact
Serving the Entire Community
Welcome to our dedicated page highlighting the needs and impact in San Mateo County. San Mateo County is home to the tech industry and with that, a community with its own unique challenges. We are dedicated to addressing the pressing needs of our San Mateo residents and fostering a stronger, more equitable region.
We recognize the need for support and services. Through this page, we aim to provide you with valuable data and insights that shed light on the specific challenges faced by our San Mateo community and the collective efforts we undertake to drive lasting impact that benefits individuals, families, and the entire community.
Meet Marcia.
As a mother of three small children and a first-generation college student with ADHD, Marcia was finding it difficult to navigate the complicated processes of securing financial aid for her college studies. She was also having challenges accessing the College’s Food Pantry, a food assistance program provided in partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank, while caring for her family.
When Marcia first came to the SparkPoint Center at Cañada Community College, she brought along her two-year-old daughter. SparkPoint® Centers work with families to meet their basic needs, increase their income, build their credit, increase their savings, and reduce their debt. SparkPoint gave Marcia a place where she could feel comfortable visiting with children in tow, ask her questions, and speak candidly about the financial hardship she was experiencing.
“I felt like I came to the right place.”
With the help of SparkPoint’s coaches, Marcia started actively managing her budget, building her credit, accessing the food pantry, and applying for scholarships. Marcia graduated magna cum laude and a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. She achieved her Associate’s degree in Digital Art and Animation with a certificate in web design.
The Need in San Mateo County
Income Inequality in San Mateo County is Growing
Among full time workers In San Mateo County, the income of low-wage workers decreased 9% between 2000 and 2019, while high-wage workers' income increased up to 22%.
Access to basic needs is difficult for many
54,921 households in Solano County struggle to meet basic needs including paying for food and groceries, housing and utility bills; and keeping up with monthly car payments and other transportation costs.
Housing is a cost burden for many residents
95,558 households in San Mateo County are housing burdened, spending more than 30% of household income on rent.
Our Impact in the Community
Housing Justice
(A free, vital service that connects callers with health and human services (food, shelter, childcare, legal services available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. in 150 languages))
United Way Bay Area has distributed $970,000 in grants to partner organizations including HIP Housing and Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County.
SparkPoint Center
(Centers that provide one-stop access to a full range of services to move families towards financial prosperity.)
San Mateo County Sparkpoint centers provided critical services to 5,492 individuals and provided coaching to help 82% of clients moving toward achieving their financial goals.
Labor Partnerships
(We connect union workers and their families with basic needs resources, legal services, and workforce training opportunities, as well as hardship funds when necessary.)
The San Mateo County Community Services team worked with our community partner, Second Harvest Food Bank of Silicon Valley to serve 3,2239 families and 533.455 pounds of food.
Explore the Data
The Real Cost Measure
United Ways of California, in partnership with California’s 29 local United Ways, is proud to release How Much it Costs to Struggle: The Real Cost Measure in California 2023, a study on what it takes to make ends meet in California.
Unlike the official poverty measure which primarily accounts for the cost of food, the Real Cost Measure factors the costs of housing, food, health care, childcare, transportation and other basic needs to reveal what it really costs to live in California.
Explore our Real Cost Measure dashboard
211 Bay Area
(A free, vital service that connects callers with health and human services (food, shelter, childcare, legal services))
2-1-1 phone and text services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and are available in 150 languages through phone interpretation services and English and Spanish for text services.
Explore our 211 Dashboard
