Assist neighbors at risk of losing housing to become self sufficient in housing and interdependent domains financial counseling, employment coaching, housing search assistance, and other services

The Mission of Midtown Family Services is to provide guidance leading to self-sufficiency in housing and interdependent domains to low-income families in the high-poverty W. San Jose neighborhoods of Burbank, Anderson Village, Cadillac Winchester, the neighborhoods between them, and beyond. We accomplish our mission through financial counseling, housing counseling, employment coaching, and resource navigation services, structuring assessment of needs and strengths and the assistance we offer our neighbors around a self-sufficiency matrix, supplemented by other evidence-based tools. Additionally, we consider life-history factors that social science research shows can affect an individual's ability to achieve self-sufficiency, such as having been justice-system involved or having spent significant time in foster care.

Our general process with all clients is: 1) assess client needs using a self-sufficiency matrix that covers housing and 17 interdependent domains including: income, employment, legal, transportation, food, client’s education, legal, health care, mental health, substance abuse, safety, life skills, family relations, parenting skills, childcare and children’s education, community involvement, and credit history; 2) help clients identify timely achievable actions that they can take to achieve self-sufficiency in all domains that they are currently not self-sufficient in; 3) encourage and support clients as they undertake those actions (broad range provided, some examples include: teaching someone how to create a budget or understand credit, teaching someone about banks/credit unions, teaching the rights/responsibilities of being a renter, helping with forms, helping someone acquire their birth certificate); 4) celebrating with them when they achieve their goals.

Core staff are all trained to provide financial counseling, housing counseling, employment coaching, notary services, assistance completing applications for public benefits, and related services. MFS contracts with a licensed clinical social worker to assess mental health needs, plan mental health services, and supervise social work interns, other staff, and volunteers providing counseling and other services. Languages spoken in the office include English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Twi, and American Sign Language. Midtown Family Services contracts with a translation service to meet the needs of persons speaking other languages.

Midtown Family Services is a member/partner of a number of service provider networks including but not limited to the Santa Clara County Continuum of Care, Credit Builders Alliance, Second Harvest of Silicon Valley Food Bank, Season of Sharing network, Housing Industry Foundation network, Practicing Law Institute, Credit Builders Alliance, City of San Jose Youth Empowerment Alliance, and County of Santa Clara Parole and Community Team.