Auto repair program helps people get back on their feet

Key Takeaways

Jasmine Sanchez was struggling to stay afloat. The Alameda County, Calif. single mother was in and out of the hospital and in need of heart and liver transplants when her car broke down. Without a reliable form of transportation, she was missing doctor’s appointments, and her two children were missing school. 

“I wasn’t able to get to my appointments,” Sanchez said. “One time, I had to be admitted [to the hospital] and my pastor from my church got me an Uber there — all the way to San Francisco. It was just a huge hassle.” 

Then, she got connected to Alameda County’s Tri-Valley Seek and Save Auto program. The county is partnering with a local nonprofit, Tri-Valley Seek and Save, and local businesses to provide people in need with vehicle repairs and donations. Sanchez received a car through the program, which she uses to get to her testing and check-up appointments, pick up medication and get her kids to school. 

People living in poverty often must choose between basic necessities in order to scrape by, said Shawn Wilson, Alameda County Supervisor David Haubert’s chief of staff. They might have to choose between paying rent or keeping their heat and lights on or whether to fix their tires, he noted. 

“That’s a very difficult choice for a family,” he said. 

Alameda County does have a bus and rail system, but, like anywhere, there are gaps in service, Wilson said. 

“Having the vehicle ensures that if you’re not on the line or on the stop, you’re still going to be able to get to work,” Wilson said. “You’re still going to be able to do the things in which you need to do.” 

Sometimes, a car is the only thing preventing someone from living on the streets, Wilson noted. As housing costs continue to rise, an increasing number of Americans are living in their cars. A 2023 Annual Homeless Assessment Report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development showed that between 45,000 and 67,500 unsheltered people live in their vehicle. 

“It sounds like ‘Wow, what? You fixed somebody’s car? Big deal.’” Wilson said. “That’s a life changer for some of these people that are on the edge. To see people get tears in their eyes because you’re able to keep their car intact and they’re able to perform their duties on a daily basis, it’s very remarkable.”

District 1, which Supervisor Haubert represents, has two “safe parking” sites where people living in their cars can park at night to sleep. The largest site, which is run by a local church, holds around 130 cars and provides access to food, showers, washers and dryers and assistance with job placement and SNAP food stamp services, according to Wilson. 

“It’s a one-stop shop,” Wilson said, adding, “which we’ve found is good, because once they spend the night in the parking lot, they wake up, they can take a shower, they can get food, they can build a resume, they can go get clothes.”

A positive outcome of the program is that it gives people living in their cars more agency, which benefits them beyond reliable transportation access, Wilson said. 

“When you feel you’re empowered and you’re self-sufficient, it takes away a lot of the ill-conceived perceptions that people have of you as being homeless,” Wilson said. “It’s one of the legs of the stool to get you back into society and functioning as an individual, and get you back in the housing market, even if it’s transitional housing.”

The Tri-Valley Seek and Save Auto Program is partially funded through Alameda County’s Vision 2026 initiative, which provided each county supervisor with $1 million in discretionary funding, spread out over five years, to allocate to initiatives that support the county’s missions of serving its most vulnerable populations and building healthy communities, according to Wilson. 

In its first three years, Supervisor Haubert dedicated $60,000 toward the automotive repair and donation program, and he bumped funding to up to $120,000 for its fourth and fifth years. Roughly 385 people have received vehicles or repairs through the program.

When the Tri-Valley Seek and Save Auto Program first launched, the county and nonprofit were able to gather a handful of businesses — in automotive repair, tire services and tow trucking — that agreed to do carry out the services at a slight reduction, but as the program and press around it has grown, the number of businesses involved has doubled and they’ve cut their rates down by around 30%, according to Wilson. 

People primarily get connected to the program through referrals from local schools, shelters, non-profits, or — like Sanchez — churches. To enroll, participants fill out an intake form through Tri-Valley Seek and Save, but the nonprofit doesn’t ask for income or information around their current financial situation, Wilson noted. 

“We don’t ask that you give us a lot of the details,” Wilson said. “We just kind of buy in and believe that you are facing unfortunate circumstances. A lot of these families we know, based on seeing them around in the community and seeing them access certain services, that they are the most vulnerable. 

“We’ve never had someone come in with a broken down 2022 Mercedes and go, ‘Hey, I kind of need to get my transmission repair.’ It’s always been like a 1986 Mazda that’s on its last legs.”

The Tri-Valley Seek and Save Auto Program has helped bring stability into Kiyano Esco’s life. Esco, whose previous car was stolen, received a vehicle through the initiative and has since received repairs as well, she said. 

“It’s a blessing,” Esco said. “It’s a bridge to what we need … It’s everything.”