HamiltonFamilyCenter

December 28, 2011: Hamilton Family Center Re-Housed 10 Families in Week before Christmas

Thanks to the dedicated efforts of our staff and a $850,000 donation from Marc and Lynne Benioff, with matching funds from the Mayor’s Homeless Fund, staff from our First Avenues program and Hamilton Family Residences and Emergency Center were able to re-house 10 families in the past week, with more anticipated in the coming weeks. This was the top story on ABC7 News at 5:00 pm on December 28, 2011.

December 20, 2011: Salesforce.com Foundation and the City of San Francisco Donate $1.333 Million to Hamilton Family Center to Re-house 60 Families

Hamilton Family Center, the largest provider of housing services for homeless families in San Francisco, has received two commitments in the last week to help resolve the record levels of homelessness among families in the city. The first gift, $850,000 from Marc and Lynne Benioff via the Salesforce.com Foundation, will be matched by the Mayor’s Homeless Fund, which plans to provide $483,167.

Upon learning the number of homeless families in San Francisco has met an all time high, salesforce.com founder Marc Benioff and wife Lynne decided to donate $1.5 million to local San Francisco nonprofit agencies to get families into housing as quickly as possible. In response to the Benioff’s generous donation, the Mayor’s Office of Housing is allocating more than $800,000 for the same purpose. Additionally, salesforce.com employees will be making donations, volunteering and building “move-in baskets” with fresh linens, dishware and cleaning supplies through the Salesforce.com Foundation.

Hamilton Family Center will use its total of $1.333 million to serve families through its nationally-recognized First Avenues program, which places families quickly into permanent housing with rent subsidies and case management. Intake has already begun, and the first family is scheduled to move into their new home on Dec. 21, 2011.

“This is a wonderful holiday gift,” said Diane Luther, executive director of the Hamilton Family Center. “We’re energized by the generosity of Marc and Lynne Benioff, and pleased by the Salesforce.com Foundation’s confidence in Hamilton Family Center. Along with the Mayor’s matching donation, we can significantly reduce the stress on the system and change the lives of 60 families right away.”

“There are currently more than 250 families on the waiting list to enter shelters in San Francisco, and more than 100 currently in emergency shelters and transitional programs, including 70 families in Hamilton programs. For these remaining homeless families we rely on continued support from the City and the community to help with our programs throughout the year,” said Luther.

Since 2005, through its First Avenues program, Hamilton Family Center has prevented 610 evictions, and helped 488 families use a temporary shallow rent subsidy to transition from homelessness to permanent homes. The program also provides move-in deposit assistance, basic furnishings and support services.

Founded in a church basement in San Francisco’s Haight neighborhood during the holidays in 1985, Hamilton Family Center is the largest provider of housing solutions and supportive services for homeless families in San Francisco. The agency operates six programs providing emergency and interim shelter, permanent supportive housing services, homelessness prevention, rapid re-housing, and recreation and education enrichment supports for children.

December 12, 2011:  Two families from our shelter share their stories in this evening news feature on the record number of families experiencing homelessness in San Francisco.

KTVU 2 News – December 12, 2011

Sept. 13, 2011: The Homelessness Prevention Rapid Re-housing Program, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, has prevented or ended homelessness for one million people in the US since 2009. With HPRP funding, over the past two years Hamilton Family Center’s First Avenues program helped 105 homeless families in San Francisco become permanently housed and prevented another 49 families from becoming homeless.

Full story and video

San Francisco, CA – June 9, 2011:  The Board of Directors of Hamilton Family Center is proud to announce the appointment of Diane Luther as the homeless service agency’s new Executive Director. She will begin her employment with the San Francisco based nonprofit on June 28, 2011.

Diane Luther will take the reins of HFC on June 28, 2011

Ms. Luther brings an impressive twenty-year record of visionary community leadership and nonprofit management to her new role. Her career has been marked by strategic financial management with a proven fundraising track record and a conviction to end homelessness.

Ms. Luther was Executive Director for more than ten years at Northwest Housing Alternatives in Oregon, a statewide nonprofit community development corporation that develops, owns and manages housing for low income populations. In this position, she provided oversight of more than 1200 housing units at 76 locations across 12 counties. As Housing Director for Multnomah County, Oregon, she forged new partnerships with housing developers and government agencies to establish new housing and homeless service programs. More recently, at the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency, she was instrumental in helping to create and implement that city’s Ten Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness and managed initiatives to develop and finance permanent supportive housing for homeless persons with disabilities.

She has served on a number of nonprofit boards of directors and was President of the Association for Oregon Community Development Organizations. Ms. Luther earned a Master of Public Administration from Portland State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from California State University, Northridge.

“We are extremely pleased and excited to welcome Diane to Hamilton. We look forward to working together to serve families experiencing homelessness in San Francisco and fulfilling our shared commitment to end the cycle of homelessness and poverty,” said Tiffany Gomez, President of Hamilton Family Center’s Board of Directors.

Hamilton Family Center was founded in 1985 and operates the largest emergency shelter for homeless families in San Francisco. The organization is nationally recognized as a leader in Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Rehousing. Each year, its First Avenues program helps more than 300 families transition out of homelessness into permanent housing and prevents another 150 families from becoming homeless.

The recently released San Francisco Homeless Count revealed a drop in chronic homelessness. Read more about how the Housing First approach helps to rapidly-rehouse homeless families.

In early October 2010, Tiffany Gomez, President of the Hamilton Family Center Board of Directors published the following announcement to several hundred friends and supporters of Hamilton Family Center:

“With sincere gratitude for her leadership and service to Hamilton Family Center, I write to you to share the bittersweet news that Executive Director Beth Stokes has announced her resignation from Hamilton Family Center. She will assume the position of Director of Programs at the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA).”

A farewell party was held November 17^th to honor Beth. The event was attended by many current and former HFC board members, staff, and program managers, as well as by several local officials and executives from homeless service providers in San Francisco.

The announcement on behalf of the Board of Directors went on to relate:

“Beth joined Hamilton Family Center in 1999, and over the past 11 years her service to our community has been remarkable. In 2007, Beth served as Interim Executive Director before being appointed Executive Director shortly thereafter. Under Beth’s leadership, Hamilton Family Center has continued to have strong programmatic growth in a challenging economic climate. Her leadership and accomplishments have also kept HFC at the forefront of successful and innovative solutions to family and individual homelessness in the Bay Area and beyond. While we are sad to see her go, Beth has an amazing opportunity ahead and leaves behind a stable organization with an exciting opportunity for new executive leadership.”

“In her next step, Beth will provide oversight of homeless programs, including Safe Haven, Emergency Shelter, Transitional Housing, Permanent Supportive Housing, and Supportive Services programs, and coordinate the creation of nearly 300 contracts totaling over $70 million in annual program funding to over 100 non-profit agencies throughout Los Angeles County.”

“Beth will remain with HFC through December 10, 2010, and will play a key part in recruiting a new Executive Director and ensuring a smooth and seamless transition. The Board of Directors has established an Executive Recruitment and Transition Committee that has already begun to conduct a comprehensive executive search.”

“On behalf of the Board of Directors, I can only begin to express our appreciation for Beth’s commitment to Hamilton Family Center. She will be deeply missed.”

Sincerely,
Tiffany Gomez
President of the Board of Directors
Hamilton Family Center

Photo: Beth (front left), Devra Edelman, Director of Programs (front right), and HFC Board President Tiffany Gomez cheer on the SF Giants leading up to the playoffs,  9/30/10

The Reverend Jesse Jackson visited with families, staff, and community leaders during a visit to the Children’s Program at Hamilton Family Center on Oct. 25, 2010.  The veteran Civil Rights leader came to HFC, the largest shelter for homeless families in San Francisco, to highlight the importance of community involvement in addressing homelessness in our City.

picture courtesy of Butch Wing

“Two things strike me when I come to the homeless shelter; the number of people who are working by day who live in the homeless shelter, and the number of children in these shelters who in fact end up being disconnected from school,” said Jackson.

Every year, Hamilton Family Center serves more than 300 families, providing shelter, supportive services, and housing solutions. Among these families, are over 600 children.

You are invited to an open-house on Thursday, August 12 from 4-6:30 PM.  We will be celebrating the opening of our new office dedicated to providing innovative housing solutions to families.

Opening Doors: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness – the nation’s first comprehensive strategy to prevent and end homelessness – was launched June 22, 2010 by the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness.

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