Homeless people in the Bay Area are being handed free smartphones by multi-billion dollar tech companies in the hope that it will get them off the streets . A group called Community Technology Alliance is giving away free Google handsets which come loaded with apps that help the homeless find shelters , soup kitchens , and warn of severe weather . The phones are also designed to help people apply for jobs and find housing , as companies often require people to visit their websites . Holly Leonard ( left ) , who was homeless and had spent time in prison , now has a house after finding an advert on Craigslist using a Google phone she was given to allow her to get online . Holly Leonard , a homeless woman from San Francisco who has spent time in jail and in a women 's refuge , has used her free handset to find herself a new home in San Jose , with her husband . She found the advert on Craigslist using a Nexus 5 phone she was given by the Community Technology Alliance . She told the New York Times : 'People don ’ t put out `` for rent '' signs anymore , so the Internet is the best way . 'You can ’ t even go get a paper application for a lot of things . You can ’ t get a job unless you get online . Before I got a free phone , it was like you ’ re almost nonexistent . ' The Bay Area have one of the most acute homelessness problems in the U.S. , with approximately destitute 14,000 people living in San Francisco and San Jose alone . While tech companies are keen to promote their image as compassionate businesses , tensions have boiled up over accusations they are not doing enough to help those in their own backyard . The Bay Area have one of the most acute homelessness problems in the U.S. , with approximately destitute 14,000 people living in San Francisco and San Jose alone . Pictured : The Silicon Valley shantytown . While tech companies are keen to promote their image as compassionate businesses , tensions have boiled up over accusations they are not doing enough to help those in their own backyard ( pictured ) Thanks almost entirely to the tech firms , the average person in Silicon Valley earned $ 116,033 last year , compared to $ 69,000 nationally , highlighting an ever-widening gap between rich and poor . But the phone initiative attempts to give something back , with workers from Twitter , mobile games company Zynga , and business-based social network Yammer . helping to teach people how to make the most of internet access . Sam Dodge , a government worker who focuses on homelessness , added : 'Homeless people live in the year 2015 , too , and people need cellphones . ' Thanks almost entirely to the tech firms , the average person in Silicon Valley earned $ 116,033 last year , compared to $ 69,000 nationally , highlighting an ever-widening gap between rich and poor . The phones are also used to help homeless people get in touch with their relatives , who they have often become estranged from , and may be able to help in getting their lives back on track . Users are provided with plugs for the phones , which they can use to recharge the batteries at coffee shops or in libraries for free . They are charged between $ 30 and $ 40 per month for internet , phone and call access , which is usually funded through voluntary schemes for which they are paid a stipend . The conditions in the squalid Silicon Valley shantytown , home to 300 people , in the shadows of one of the wealthiest areas of the U.S. A shirt with a morale-boosting message is placed atop mud and debris at the Silicon Valley homeless encampment . The plan includes other features to make it easier for homeless people , such as the ability to keep their number if they can not pay the bills , and a two month grace period in case the miss a payment . The Community Technology Alliance works with other charities to find homeless people in need of a phone , and who would benefit the most from having one . So far they have given out 100 of the 1,000 handsets they have been given , and promised another 350 to other organisations . A spokesman for Mobile4all said : 'We provide a unique and empowering technological service to those struggling every day to escape poverty and homelessness . 'We are thinking big to address big issues with big solutions for those who need it most . '
Google has given 100 free phones to homeless . Helps to find shelter , locate soup kitchens and reconnect with families . Also allows them to find homes and jobs in world reliant on the internet . Homeless woman Holly Leonard used a free Community Technology Alliance phone to rent a flat .