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.

KTVU 2 News – December 12, 2011

Full story and video

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.

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

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.