The vision of SHCS is a "community united to ensure every child and adult is free from poverty" and since 1964 it has been one of the leading institutions addressing poverty in Santa Clara County, with a strategy that combines meeting basic needs, offering tools for self-sufficiency, and providing opportunities for the wider community to get involved.

The mission of Sacred Heart Community Service is to change lives and eradicate poverty by providing essential services, such as food, clothing and emergency housing aid; tools for self-sufficiency, such as education and job-training; and ministering to all with dignity, compassion and respect. The agency serves more than 20,000 people each month, including a record 26,101 in December 2009.