In Santa Clarita, the median household income was about $116,000 in 2022, based on Census Bureau data.
Despite this relative affluence, families and students who don’t have adequate housing “couch surf” to stay off the streets and sometimes get called the “hidden homeless” by social workers, because due to many reasons, their numbers and struggles are underrepresented.
At its most recent count, the William S. Hart Union High School District has a little over 28% of its students who receive assistance, and more than 1,000 students reported as homeless in 2023, according to the California Department of Education’s Dashboard data.
That’s just the Hart district.
Berkeley Nuñez said early on at West Ranch High School, a school near some of the SCV’s more well-off communities, she saw her classmates, her teammates, she said, face challenges with their ability to pay for some of the basic costs for their competitions.
“I tried some sports and I realized I had a lot of peers that couldn’t afford to participate in the sports, and it really hit home because I feel like I’ve never felt that struggle,” Nuñez said. “But I was really face to face with that freshman year, and seeing it really inspired me.”
The district is legally required to provide everything needed to play, but there are costs that arise off the court, field, diamond or whatever the case may be.
And removing those barriers is a big part of her nonprofit’s mission.
“I started Access Athletics with a dual purpose in mind,” Berkeley Nuñez said to the group of friends and supporters who gathered Thursday evening for the launch of the organization outside The Paseo Club. “One, to enhance the physical and mental wellness of young people through sports; and two, to remove financial barriers associated with sports that prevent some young people from participating.”
She’s seen firsthand how sports can help in a number of ways through her family’s resources, she said, which allowed her to try soccer, swim and volleyball until she found her true passion in tennis.
Over the last 18 months or so, she’s worked diligently, aided by her mother and father, Sandie and Joe Nuñez, who also happens to be an attorney, with legal filings and other necessary paperwork to create a 501(c)3 that can support other athletes’ dreams.
“I helped with the formation. The idea was completely hers, and I think it stems from her exposure to other communities,” Joe Nuñez said, referring to her ability to travel internationally. Those experiences have resulted in an empathy and passion for community service she gained from seeing people living in less fortunate circumstances, he added.
He also learned as a parent in the community about the struggle of some programs, including stories that involved families who couldn’t afford to have all of the children play sports.
Travel meals. Spirit packs. Sports equipment. It can really add up for some households.
“You know people always assume, ‘Oh West Ranch, every kid is affluent there,’” Joe Nuñez said, but that’s not the case, and his daughter was sensitive to the potential stigma.
“It’s voluntary, but it’s kind of not voluntary, you know what I mean?” added Joe Nuñez, who’s also an attorney, and volunteers as a board member for the new nonprofit. “And the other kids know when the others don’t.”
Jose Villafan, Valencia High varsity boys soccer head coach, who also previously knew Joe Nuñez through local professional circles, volunteers as a board member.
Villafan said the costs can add up for parents, and it can be difficult, even with support from booster clubs and other parents helping out.
“(Schools) don’t provide you with any additional training gear, equipment or anything of that sort. So essentially, every student has to give some type of donation to get training gear to get coats, equipment, all the stuff that they need,” Villafan said. “And this can run you upwards of ($400) or $500 depending on the sport.”
Berkeley Nuñez said everyone involved in the organization is a volunteer, so all money raised will go directly to helping local youth athletics.
A tennis player at West Ranch, she said she’s planning to hold a tennis camp this summer with all necessary equipment provided to the participants.
More information is available on volunteer opportunities and how to apply for the organization’s help at https://accessathletics.org.
