West Valley Nonprofit Secures $200K Federal Grant for Mobile Services Van

The funding will help create a roaming van to provide essential services for unhoused residents in the region.

Published on Feb. 25, 2026

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Congressman Sam Liccardo announced that he secured $200,000 in federal funding for West Valley Community Services to create a mobile navigation center van that will provide showers, laundry, phone charging, case management, and food for unhoused residents in the West Valley region. The nonprofit had noticed a lack of drop-in services for the homeless population in cities like Los Gatos and pitched the idea of a custom-designed ADA-compliant van to Liccardo.

Why it matters

The mobile van aims to address the lack of resources and services available for the homeless population in the West Valley area, which has been underserved compared to larger cities. The grant funding will allow West Valley Community Services to bring essential services directly to those in need, rather than requiring them to travel to centralized locations.

The details

The $200,000 grant is part of $14 million in federal funding that Liccardo secured for community projects addressing homelessness and housing. The mobile van will cost $400,000 to create, with an additional $200,000 in annual operating costs. West Valley Community Services hopes to get matching donations from the cities it serves to cover the remaining costs. The nonprofit also plans to potentially have unhoused clients help drive the van, seeing it as an internship or job opportunity.

  • On February 20, 2026, Congressman Sam Liccardo announced the $200,000 federal grant for West Valley Community Services.
  • During the COVID-19 pandemic, West Valley Community Services' executive director Sujatha Venkatraman noticed the lack of drop-in or navigation services for unhoused clients in the region.

The players

Congressman Sam Liccardo

A U.S. Representative who represents California's 16th Congressional District and announced the $14 million in federal funding for community projects addressing homelessness and housing.

West Valley Community Services

A nonprofit agency that serves low-income and unhoused people in Cupertino, Saratoga, West San Jose, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno and the communities in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The organization received the $200,000 grant to create a mobile navigation center van.

Sujatha Venkatraman

The executive director of West Valley Community Services who spearheaded the idea for the mobile navigation center van after noticing the lack of services for unhoused residents in the region.

Rob Moore

The Mayor of Los Gatos who expressed the community's commitment to supporting those struggling with housing challenges.

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What they’re saying

“What heartens me most about our community is that we don't look away from these challenges. When someone is struggling, we show up. Because we know a stable home isn't just shelter; it's the foundation for everything that follows.”

— Rob Moore, Mayor of Los Gatos

“I went back to the West Valley cities, had a coalition meeting with all of them. Los Gatos, because (the unhoused population is) small and it's all transient, they move around. But what we started finding was, yes, there is a need.”

— Sujatha Venkatraman, Executive Director, West Valley Community Services

What’s next

West Valley Community Services plans to continue fundraising to cover the remaining $400,000 needed to create the mobile navigation center van, with the goal of launching the service in the coming year.

The takeaway

This grant funding will allow West Valley Community Services to bring essential services directly to unhoused residents in the region, addressing a critical gap in resources and support for a vulnerable population that has been underserved compared to larger urban areas.