Step Up Clusters

1,000 OUT OF POVERTY

1,000 Out of Poverty will disrupt how nonprofit and government agencies address poverty by focusing on the results of unemployed, employable adults moving out of poverty through multi-agency interdisciplinary services using common outcome metrics. The disruptive innovation is that it combines for the first time is a strategy that has 1) simple, clear, objective measures of self-sufficiency across all five key measures tracked on a single database; 2) client-focused strategies directed by the participant’s own self sufficiency plan, which are 3) supported by a client advocate and a collaborative system of support among diverse agencies; 4) guided by a local council of nonprofit, corporate, government and academic leaders; 5) evaluated by multiple university researchers (Notre Dame, Santa Clara, San Jose State); 6) includes application for government funding waivers and positions it for a market-driven component through social impact financing; and 7) is directed to influence anti-poverty policy changes at the local, state and federal levels. It is based on the new effort led by Catholic Charities USA with Santa Clara County as an anti-poverty innovation site.

Read more about the programmatic design of 1,000 Out of Poverty.

ANTI-PAYDAY LENDING

The Coalition Against Payday Predators (CAPP) is working to limit the reckless financial practices of payday lenders in San José and the South Bay by supporting local payday lending control ordinances that will stop further proliferation of payday lenders in the region and pave the way for better consumer lending alternatives.

COLLEGE SAVINGS CIRCLE

The College Savings Circle is a pilot Savings Circle program in partnership with the Silicon Valley Education Foundation and EARN in East Side Alliance to support the goal of going to college for the mostly lower income, marginalized and immigrant communities of East San Jose

COMMUNITY ACTION POVERTY SIMULATIONS

The Community Action Poverty Simulation (CAPS) is a unique tool that Step Up Silicon Valley uses to educate everyone, from policy makers to local community leaders, about the day-to-day realities of those living in poverty in Santa Clara County.

FRANKLIN McKINLEY WOMEN’S INITIATIVE

The Franklin McKinley Women’s Initiative helps low-income women to achieve economic self-sufficiency by providing them with the knowledge and tools needed to start their own businesses.

FRANKLIN McKINLEY CHILDREN’S INITIATIVE

The Franklin McKinley Children’s Initiative (FMCI) takes a cradle to career approach to building communities that face limited access to education or are impacted by poverty.

STEP UP LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT SERIES

Step Up’s Learning and Development Series provides the network with opportunities for growth and exposure to new and innovative ideas.

SAN JOSEAN’S FOR A WORLD-CLASS CITY

To retool the business tax as a means of funding police, living wage jobs, and repaving our streets.

OPPORTUNITY YOUTH PARTNERSHIP

The goal of the Santa Clara County Opportunity Youth Partnership (OYP) is to better connect resources for the County’s Opportunity Youth (ages 16-24) who are not engaged in school or work.

OUTCOMES MEASUREMENT

We measure poverty reduction using a common measurement system. The Step Up Self-Sufficiency Measure focuses on five issue areas: food, income, housing, health care, and education.

PAY FOR SUCCESS

Pay for Success-Social Innovation Financing is an innovative approach to financing social services that funds what works. This new model implements performance-based contracting between the government and service providers in which funds are more wisely allocated based on successful outcomes rather than the number of services provided.

SOCIAL INNOVATION LEADERSHIP FORUM

The Social Innovation Leadership Forum is an annual conference that celebrates the partnership between cross-sector stakeholders who collaborate to create feasible solutions to social problems. We invite social entrepreneurs, thinkers, and leaders from non-profits, business, government, education, and the community to share innovation leadership lessons and continue building a social innovation network.