The unhoused are often more noticeable in bigger cities like San Francisco where shelters and services are readily available, but tent encampments are also popping up in smaller communities without shelters in Silicon Valley.
It’s a tale of two halves in a city like Cupertino, where tech is increasing the net worth of many.
“Silicon Valley has two sides. It’s the wealthy – the uber wealthy, and then it’s the ones who are not so wealthy. It’s the ones that we see falling through the cracks. It’s our unhoused neighbors, it’s low income people,” said Cassandra Magana.
Magana works at the West Valley Community Services, a non-profit close to the sprawling campus built by Apple, the most valuable company in the world.
“When we look at the West Valley we think ‘oh they’re wealthy’, there’s nothing out there. There’s no one out there, but we are hidden,” said Magana.
On one corner in Cupertino is Susan Colley, who’s been homeless for more than five years.