LifeMoves

LifeMoves
Name	LifeMoves
Type	Nonprofit
Founded	1972
Headquarters	Palo Alto, California
Area served	San Mateo County; Santa Clara County; San Francisco Bay Area
Mission	Provide shelter, housing, and support services to families and individuals experiencing homelessness

LifeMoves LifeMoves is a California-based nonprofit providing emergency shelter, transitional housing, supportive services, and rapid rehousing to people experiencing homelessness in the San Francisco Bay Area. Founded through mergers and community initiatives during the late 20th century, it operates multiple shelters and programs across San Mateo County and Santa Clara County, collaborating with local governments, philanthropic foundations, and healthcare institutions. The organization engages with public agencies, nonprofit networks, and corporate partners to address homelessness through housing-first and trauma-informed approaches.

History

The organization traces roots to faith-based initiatives and community action movements in the 1970s and 1980s that addressed homelessness alongside groups such as Catholic Charities (United States), Salvation Army, St. Vincent de Paul Society, Emergency Shelter Coalition (San Francisco), and local chapters of United Way. In the 1990s and 2000s, regional policy shifts influenced by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, CalWORKs, and McKinney–Vento Homeless Assistance Act prompted consolidation of shelter providers, similar to mergers seen at Heading Home (San Francisco) and Destination: Home. High-profile local events—such as ballot measures like Measure A (San Mateo County) and initiatives tied to Proposition 13 (1978) debates over land use—shaped funding landscapes. Partnerships with county agencies including San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors guided program expansion in the 2010s, especially during crises linked to the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Services and Programs

Programs emphasize rapid rehousing, transitional services, case management, employment support, and behavioral health linkages modeled on best practices promoted by National Alliance to End Homelessness, Corporation for Supportive Housing, and Healthcare for the Homeless. Client services often coordinate with benefits systems such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program offices, Medi-Cal, and Social Security Administration offices, while workforce initiatives interface with California Employment Development Department and local workforce boards. Family-focused offerings connect to school-based supports influenced by the McKinney–Vento Homeless Assistance Act and collaborate with districts like San Mateo County Office of Education and Santa Clara County Office of Education. Health partnerships include clinics associated with Kaiser Permanente and Sutter Health systems to provide behavioral health, primary care, and substance use treatment referrals. Prevention and outreach reflect models used by 211 (United States) helplines and regional Continuums of Care administered by HUD Exchange.

Facilities and Locations

Facilities span shelter campuses, interim housing sites, and scattered-site apartments across municipalities such as Palo Alto, California, San Mateo, California, Redwood City, California, Mountain View, California, and Menlo Park, California. Sites coordinate with county-run services at locations like San Mateo Medical Center and Santa Clara Valley Medical Center and municipal homeless response teams in cities including San Jose, California and East Palo Alto, California. Facility planning has engaged regional planning authorities such as Metropolitan Transportation Commission and county housing agencies including San Mateo County Housing Authority and Santa Clara County Housing Authority.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding streams include grants and contracts from local governments, county human services departments, philanthropic foundations such as The David and Lucile Packard Foundation and Pew Charitable Trusts, and donations from corporations like Google and Facebook, Inc.. Collaborative grants have come via state initiatives tied to California Department of Housing and Community Development and federal sources administered by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Partnerships extend to nonprofit networks including Habitat for Humanity, Homeward Trust, and national intermediaries like National Low Income Housing Coalition. Emergency funding spikes during the COVID-19 pandemic involved coordination with public health departments and private funders responding to eviction moratoria and disaster relief allocations.

Impact and Outcomes

Outcome metrics emphasize exits to permanent housing, reductions in shelter length-of-stay, and improved employment and health indicators, aligning with performance measures promoted by HUD Exchange and evaluated in studies similar to research by Urban Institute and RAND Corporation. Local impact assessments reference county point-in-time counts coordinated with regional Continuums of Care such as San Mateo County Continuum of Care and Santa Clara County Continuum of Care. Evaluation partnerships have included academic institutions like Stanford University and San Jose State University for data analysis, and public reporting has informed county boards and stakeholders including San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.

Governance and Leadership

The organization is governed by a board of directors drawn from local leaders in philanthropy, law, healthcare, and business, paralleling governance structures of nonprofits like Goodwill Industries International and United Way Worldwide. Executive leadership historically collaborates with county housing officials, philanthropic advisors from entities such as Silicon Valley Community Foundation, and legal counsel experienced with Housing First policy and nonprofit compliance under California Nonprofit Corporation Law. Advisory committees often include representatives from municipal agencies, hospital systems, and community-based organizations such as YMCAs of Silicon Valley and neighborhood advocacy groups.

Category:Non-profit organizations based in California Category:Homelessness charities in the United States