The Challenge We Face
Sources: 2025 Silicon Valley Index, Joint Venture Silicon Valley; LAMVCF calculations; Social Security Administration 2025 SSI Federal Benefit Rate.
A Community Called to Act
One of the greatest challenges facing our community is the growing distance between the people who make this place work and the place itself. Teachers, first responders, healthcare workers, and city staff — the people who serve our community every day — are increasingly unable to afford to live here. When those who shape a city are no longer part of its daily life, we lose connection, trust, and a shared sense of belonging.
That's why LAMVCF launched the Live Where You Work Challenge in January 2026: an open invitation for residents, nonprofits, students, employers, and community members across Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, and Mountain View to submit their boldest, most practical ideas for keeping essential workers rooted in the communities they serve.
One selected idea received a $25,000 grant and may receive fiscal sponsorship through LAMVCF's Local Impact Collective to help bring the vision to life.
The $25,000 grant was awarded to The United Effort Organization, announced May 7, 2026 at Petals & Prosecco
Meet the Finalists
Five ideas. One shared vision.
These five community initiatives don't just address housing. Together, they raise deeper questions about ownership, belonging, and what kind of community we want to build. We are proud to celebrate each of them.
The United Effort Organization - WINNER
The United Effort Organization serves 785 unhoused individuals in Mountain View and Los Altos, many employed locally or living on fixed incomes. Their proposal, "Live Where You Work. Retire Where You Belong," turns underused housing — spare rooms, ADUs, and cottages — into stable placements by pairing tenant contributions with subsidies that make the numbers work for homeowners.
A dedicated housing navigator handles screening, lease support, and ongoing case management, reducing risk for homeowners and helping ensure tenancies last. The $25,000 grant will fund the pilot, including a community housing match registry and the navigator role.
One UEO client — a part-time, low-wage worker — was placed in a Los Altos cottage through a similar arrangement. With stable housing, she increased her hours, improved her finances, and eventually moved into a permanent affordable apartment. This is the kind of story UEO hopes to replicate at scale.
Mountain View Community Land Trust
The only community land trust in Mountain View, MVCLT permanently removes homes from the speculative market so that once a home becomes affordable, it stays that way — forever. Originally founded as Fondo de Solidaridad de Mountain View, a fiscally sponsored project of LAMVCF, MVCLT is guided by a grassroots Leadership Council of working-class Latina women.
Leadership Mountain View
Since 1990, LMV has connected residents, civic leaders, and nonprofit professionals across community life. Their proposal immerses decision-makers in the real experience of housing insecurity through poverty simulations, lived-experience panels, and collaborative projects — turning empathy into action.
Catalyze SV
With nearly a decade of roots in grassroots organizing and housing advocacy, Catalyze SV builds community support for housing change from Mountain View city council chambers to neighborhood doorsteps. Few organizations in the region have done this work longer or more thoughtfully.
Stewards of the Land
A LAMVCF fiscally sponsored project, SOL helps homeowners build low-cost, eco-friendly ADUs using natural materials like strawbale and cob — then matches those homes with local essential workers at little or no cost, creating housing that shelters people and strengthens community bonds at the same time.
The Judging Panel
Rajiv Bhateja
"Kudos to the Los Altos Mountain View Community Foundation for catalyzing innovative ways to address our housing shortage. It was inspiring to see so many practical, creative proposals allowing people to live closer to their workplaces, resulting in improved quality of life and social cohesion."
Rajiv serves as Mayor of Los Altos Hills. Before entering public service, he spent more than 30 years in Silicon Valley’s technology sector, working with multiple startups and public companies and retiring as a Vice President of Engineering. Originally from Bangalore, India, he earned his undergraduate degree from IIT Bombay and later received both a master’s degree in computer science and a PhD in engineering from University of California, Berkeley. Mayor Bhateja has long been active in community service, volunteering with local schools, youth programs, and civic organizations. He and his wife, Meera, have lived in Los Altos Hills for many years and raised three sons in the community.
Jon Cowan
"As a Mountain View resident and LAMVCF Board Member, the caliber of this year's Live Where You Work applications gives me real faith that we can meet this challenge. We can continue to innovate, creating new opportunities and pathways so that all members of our community have better access to affordable housing, and can truly live where they work."
Jon leads federal, state, and local government & community relations as well as provides leadership and operational oversight of El Camino Health’s community benefit program. He brings more than 15 years of experience helping clients to solve some of their most pressing government relations, community relations, and strategic challenges.
Julie Mahowald
"I was delighted to review the excellent ideas presented to LAMVCF around this critical topic. So many of us don't think twice about this privilege… our community needs the voices and talents of people from all backgrounds and income levels to remain vibrant. The participants were thoughtful and committed, and I wish them success. Hats off to LAMVCF for offering this challenge!"
Julie Mahowald is CFO and Head of Partnerships & Strategy of Housing Trust Silicon Valley for the past 10 years. She has also served as interim CEO of Housing Trust on two occasions. With a career rooted in corporate finance (Silicon Valley tech companies) and capital markets, Julie brings a unique perspective to mission-driven investing—structuring tools that meet investor expectations while advancing equity and affordability. She is part of the leadership team who established TECH Fund, the Apple Affordable Housing Fund, and Google’s Launch Initiative–each investing funds to start up or preserve affordable homes within months of establishment. Her passion is bringing impact capital to community development. She was named non-profit CFO of the year in 2023 by the SF Business Times and Larkin Street Youth Services. Julie served on local nonprofit boards including the Los Altos Mountain View Community Foundation for 7 years and is a past co-Chair. She currently serves on the board of Silicon Valley@Home and Momentum for Health.
Sally Meadows
"Activating underutilized housing directly supports people living where they work. It is a realistic and proven way to make use of spaces such as ADUs or spare rooms by matching homeowners who are willing to rent affordably to local workers. This proposal offered the best combination of impact and feasibility and is worthy of this grant."
Sally is a long-time community leader and currently serves as Mayor of Los Altos. Deeply committed to civic engagement and regional collaboration, she has been actively involved in local government and nonprofit initiatives that strengthen the social and civic fabric of the community. She represents Los Altos on various Boards including Silicon Valley Clean Energy and the Santa Clara County Library District. In her professional career, Sally was a global business and market strategy leader in the biopharmaceutical industry. Her work focused on the research, development, and commercialization of innovative therapies.
Emily Ann Ramos
Emily Ann currently serves as Mayor of Mountain View. In her professional role as Tenant Protection and Empowerment Associate at SV@Home, she works to advance tenant protections, preserve affordable housing, and develop equitable anti-displacement policies across Silicon Valley. Previously, Emily helped grow the digital presence of The Tech Interactive through strategic social media engagement. She remains actively involved in community leadership and organizations working to strengthen and support the region’s most vulnerable residents.
Marc Sidel
"This challenge elevates the dialogue around housing by focusing on what the whole community gains when more of us live where we work: workers reclaim their sense of belonging, long commutes are replaced with civic participation, neighborhoods become more connected, and we all benefit from cleaner air and less congested roads. There is no single solution to our housing challenges, but after reviewing the proposals, I feel energized and hopeful."
As the Community Lead for a local Family Office, Marc focuses on deploying philanthropic investments across key areas: revolutionary health care, poverty solutions, experiential education, and fostering local community vibrancy. A native of Los Altos and Mountain View, his passion lies in bolstering the local organizations that cultivate a strong sense of community and belonging. His personal goal has always been to live where he works, and he is eager to see innovative approaches to make this a reality for a wider segment of our population.
TAKE ACTION >
Los Altos Mountain View Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Federal Tax ID 77-0273721