In a state where homelessness continues to escalate despite $37.8 billion in spending these past 6 years, Silicon Valley executive and nonprofit founder Claudio Bono has emerged as a persistent voice demanding action and accountability from California’s leadership. As founder of GiveaRoof.org and author of “The Homelessness Fix: How to Save the World While Everyone Else Argues About It,” available on Amazon worldwide, Bono has developed a comprehensive framework designed to unify nonprofits and homelessness programs, eliminate redundancies, and implement measurable accountability that could significantly reduce homelessness within three years. Currently serving as Vice President of the Cupertino Chamber of Commerce and Managing Director of two Silicon Valley hotels, Bono brings over a decade of community service and nonprofit outreach experience to his advocacy work, providing him with a unique perspective on both private enterprise solutions and public service challenges. His frustration has reached a boiling point after two years of attempting to engage Governor Gavin Newsom’s office through email, fax, postal mail, and social media without receiving any formal acknowledgment or response to his detailed proposals. The plan includes innovative solutions such as triage-based welcome centers, a unified national database, expiration dates for ineffective programs, and redirection of untapped private assets including an estimated $25 billion annually in unused airline miles, credit card points and hotel loyalty points for transitional housing and emergency shelter funding. Through his recent open letter to the governor, Bono has escalated his call for transparency and collaboration, arguing that the public deserves responses to well-documented proposals and that the absence of centralized data systems and standardized performance metrics continues to limit the effectiveness of current efforts across California’s homelessness programs.
1. You’ve spent two years attempting to engage Governor Newsom’s office with your strategic plan to address homelessness, using every official communication channel available, yet have received no formal response despite California spending $37.8 billion annually on related programs. As someone with both Silicon Valley business experience and extensive nonprofit work, what does this silence from state leadership tell you about the current approach to homelessness policy, and how does your background in private enterprise inform your understanding of what effective accountability and measurable outcomes should look like in government programs?
Claudio Bono: Thank you for your question. The lack of response from Governor Newsom’s office over two years, despite our diligent efforts through official channels, suggests a need for stronger alignment in California’s approach to homelessness policy, even with $37.8 billion invested for the past 6 years. As the founder of GiveARoof.org, with a blend of Silicon Valley business acumen and extensive nonprofit experience, I view this as an opportunity to bridge gaps with innovative, results-driven solutions. My private-sector background underscores the power of data-driven accountability and clear, measurable outcomes—principles that can transform government programs to deliver real impact on homelessness. At GiveARoof.org, we’re ready to bring a winning strategy to the table, leveraging our unique triage system and rewards-based approach that’s grounded in proven private-sector efficiency. We’re eager to secure a meeting with Governor Newsom to present our plan or The White House. We also contacted the Trump Administration. We are confident it can drive tangible results and create lasting change for Californians and for the rest of the country and showcase hope to the world as Homelessness is not just a California problem, it’s a worldwide crisis.
2. Your book “The Homelessness Fix” proposes that homelessness in California can be significantly reduced within three years through coordinated efforts, including triage-based welcome centers and a unified national database to reduce duplication. Given that over $500 billion is distributed annually across poverty and homelessness programs nationwide, how did you identify the specific structural problems that prevent this massive funding from achieving better results, and what role does your experience as Vice President of the Cupertino Chamber of Commerce play in understanding how to create efficient, cross-sector collaboration?
Claudio Bono: In developing the strategies outlined in The Homelessness Fix, I identified structural problems in homelessness programs through extensive research and direct engagement with stakeholders across California and beyond. The core issues include fragmented funding streams, lack of coordination among agencies, and insufficient data-driven accountability. Despite over $500 billion allocated annually to poverty and homelessness programs nationwide and to various nonprofits, inefficiencies arise from siloed operations, duplicative services, and a lack of centralized metrics to track outcomes. For instance, audits like those from the California State Auditor have revealed that funds are often misallocated or untracked, with no unified system to measure how many individuals transition to permanent housing per dollar spent. My proposed solutions—triage-based welcome centers and a national database—address these by streamlining intake processes, prioritizing immediate needs, and eliminating redundancies through real-time data sharing, aiming to reduce homelessness significantly within three years.
My role as Vice President of the Cupertino Chamber of Commerce has been instrumental in shaping my approach to efficient, cross-sector collaboration. Leading initiatives that brought together businesses, local government, and community organizations, I facilitated partnerships that drove measurable economic and social outcomes, such as job fairs and community development programs. This experience underscored the importance of aligning diverse stakeholders around shared goals, leveraging private-sector efficiency, and fostering trust through transparent communication. Applying this to homelessness, I advocate for coalitions that unite government agencies, nonprofits, and private entities—like those with untapped resources such as airline miles or vacant properties—to create scalable, results-oriented solutions. My Chamber experience taught me that collaboration thrives when all parties are accountable to clear metrics and a unified vision, a principle central to The Homelessness Fix. Also, as a vice chair of Parks and recreation where I review grants requests, I see how every nonprofit functions and why it fails.
3. One of your most innovative proposals involves redirecting an estimated $25 billion annually in unused airline miles, credit card points and hotel loyalty points toward transitional housing, travel logistics, and emergency shelter options for individuals experiencing homelessness. As someone who manages two Silicon Valley hotels, how did you discover this untapped resource, and what specific mechanisms would need to be implemented to convert these private assets into practical housing solutions while ensuring transparency and preventing abuse of the system?
Claudio Bono: As the founder of GiveARoof.org and a manager of two Silicon Valley hotels, I discovered the potential of redirecting $25 billion in unused airline miles and hotel points through my extensive experience in the hospitality and travel industries, where I represent Silicon Valley globally. My work naturally bridges hotels and airlines, and I recognized that loyalty programs, often underutilized, represent a massive, untapped resource. For instance, while assisting an individual with a 10-night hotel stay, I not only provided immediate shelter but also earned elite qualifications, no cash spent. Revealing a win-win model: individuals gain stability, businesses benefit from increased engagement and cities get TOT taxes. It’s a win for all. This insight led to the proposal in The Homelessness Fix book to leverage these assets for transitional housing, travel logistics, and emergency shelter.
To convert these private assets into practical solutions, several mechanisms are essential. First, partnerships with major airlines, hotel chains, and credit card companies would enable the transfer of expiring loyalty points into a centralized fund managed by a 501(c)(3) like GiveARoof.org. Ensuring we have an awareness program that extends to all travelers in the USA. These points could be converted for immediate hotel stays for individuals qualifying for it (no substance or mental issue), flights for reunification or job opportunities, or converted to cash via licensed brokers to fund welcome centers offering triage, vocational training, and support services. Second, a robust national database would track allocations, ensuring points are used for verified individuals and preventing duplication or fraud. Blockchain technology could enhance transparency, logging transactions publicly while protecting privacy. Third, oversight by an independent auditing body would ensure accountability, with public dashboards reporting metrics like nights of shelter provided and individuals transitioned to permanent housing. These steps would maximize impact while maintaining trust and efficiency. This program is designed for a win and the end of homelessness as we know it. I would also like to add that after vetting at welcome centers, anyone eligible to stay in Hotels would be assisted and bathed, clothed and fed prior to arriving at Hotels, blending seamlessly with other guests. This would remove stigma and provide dignity to those wanting to rejoin society and able to.
4. Your framework includes implementing expiration dates for ineffective programs tied to outcome-based evaluations, which suggests a fundamental shift from the current approach to homelessness funding and program management. Having worked in both nonprofit outreach and business management for over a decade, what resistance do you expect from existing stakeholders who benefit from the current system, and how do you propose to overcome institutional inertia while ensuring that vulnerable populations aren’t harmed during the transition to more accountable programs?
Claudio Bono: Thank you for this thoughtful question—it really gets to the heart of why reform is so urgently needed, and I appreciate the chance to share my perspective. I’ve seen firsthand how good intentions can get bogged down by bureaucracy. Our framework in The Homelessness Fix—which calls for expiration dates on underperforming programs, rigorously tied to outcome-based evaluations like housing placement rates, recidivism reductions, and cost-per-outcome metrics—does indeed represent a bold pivot from the status quo. It’s about treating homelessness like a solvable business challenge: measure what matters, iterate fast, and sunset what doesn’t deliver.
That said, I fully expect resistance from stakeholders entrenched in the current system—nonprofit leaders reliant on perpetual funding streams, bureaucrats whose performance metrics favor activity over impact, and even some policymakers wary of the political optics of “cutting” programs. These groups often benefit from the inertia: it sustains jobs, grants, and influence without the discomfort of true accountability.
To overcome this institutional inertia without harming those we serve, my approach is rooted in collaboration, phased transitions, and ironclad safeguards—principles I’ve honed across both sectors.
Ultimately, this isn’t about dismantling the system—it’s about upgrading it to deliver real wins for Californians and Americans in general experiencing homelessness. We had years to fix this and it is only is getting worse. By framing accountability as a shared victory (lower costs, better outcomes, more lives stabilized), we can turn skeptics into champions. I’m excited about the momentum building and would love to discuss how we can pilot this —perhaps even looping in Governor Newsom’s team for that collaborative spark or The White House. Change needs to be made if we want to see the end of this crisis.
5. Through GiveaRoof.org, you’re advocating for a scalable, transparent, and outcome-driven approach that operates across municipal and state lines, essentially creating a national model based on your California experience. As you continue pushing for government engagement while building public awareness, what’s your strategy for expanding this framework beyond California, and how do you plan to demonstrate the effectiveness of your model to other state leaders who might be more willing to engage than Governor Newsom’s administration has been?
Claudio Bono:
Thank you for your insightful question. I never thought of only helping Californians but Americans in general. Homelessness is present in many states.
Our strategy for national expansion starts with leveraging the framework outlined in The Homelessness Fix, which uses California’s challenges as a blueprint for a universal solution. We’re focused on three key pillars: partnerships, pilots, and public proof. First, we’re forging partnerships with airlines, hotels, and credit card companies to tap into the $25 billion in unused loyalty points and miles annually, converting these into immediate housing solutions like hotel stays for unhoused individuals. I’ve seen what points can do in someone’s life and how it leads to transformation.. We’re now identifying states like Texas, Florida, and New York, where homelessness is a pressing issue, to push for welcome centers through collaborations with local Chambers of Commerce and nonprofits. Ideally with the US government.
To demonstrate effectiveness to state leaders, we’re doubling down on data-driven storytelling. Our public dashboards, inspired by Silicon Valley’s agile methodologies, will display real-time metrics: cost-per-outcome, individuals served, and economic benefits like increased hotel occupancy taxes. For instance, our California model could generate millions in transient occupancy taxes, proving a win-win for communities. We’ll amplify this through a national media tour, including pitches to outlets like Good Morning America, and targeted campaigns on platforms like X, using hashtags like #MilesForHomes to spark public engagement.
Unlike California, where we’ve faced challenges securing engagement from Governor Newsom’s office, we’re finding more receptive audiences in states with flexible policy environments. By presenting undeniable evidence—pilots that work, data that speaks, and a model that saves money while saving lives—we’re confident we can inspire leaders to adopt our framework. We’re ready to deliver a win and end homelessness in 3 years.
Claudio Bono’s persistent advocacy through GiveaRoof.org represents more than just another homelessness initiative—it embodies a fundamental challenge to how government accountability operates in addressing complex social issues. His frustration with California’s leadership reflects a broader crisis of responsive governance, where detailed proposals from experienced practitioners go unanswered while billions of dollars continue flowing through ineffective programs. By combining his Silicon Valley business acumen with hands-on nonprofit experience, Bono has identified structural inefficiencies that traditional advocacy groups often overlook, particularly the potential for redirecting private sector resources and implementing measurable accountability standards. His willingness to publicly challenge Governor Newsom’s silence demonstrates how citizen-led solutions can pressure political leaders to engage with practical alternatives to failed policies. As homelessness continues escalating across California despite massive spending, Bono’s framework offers a compelling example of how cross-sector collaboration and outcome-based evaluation could transform not just homelessness programs but government responsiveness to citizen proposals. The ultimate test of his approach will be whether sustained public pressure and documented solutions can force political leaders to move beyond rhetoric toward measurable action on one of California’s most persistent challenges.
To explore comprehensive homelessness solutions and support advocacy efforts, visit www.GiveaRoof.org
