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Dear Colleagues,
I’m excited to write to you for the first time in the Spotlight as Director of the Chronic Homelessness Initiative. After spending my career developing affordable housing in the South Bay, and more recently having led the development of Coordinated Entry at Episcopal Community Services, I am honored, and, to borrow Daniel’s phrase, “fired up” to have the opportunity to reduce chronic homelessness in close partnership with the City and our exceptional non-profit community. We will succeed by expanding the solution set until it is large enough to meet the full scope of the challenge. It takes bold ideas and creative problem solving — as well as exceptional programs — to change the condition of our streets and help our neighbors get, and stay, housed.
We know that nearly half of all adults experiencing homelessness in San Francisco first experienced homelessness before the age of 25. By investing in a system that prevents and ends homelessness for young people today, we can reduce chronic homelessness in San Francisco for the long term. In October 2018, we invested $3M to help launch Rising Up, a campaign that aims to do just that, with a goal of reducing youth homelessness by 50% by 2023.
I recently spoke to members of the Steering Committee charged with coordinating Rising Up, which includes representatives from the City, funders, and participating service providers. They meet regularly to unpack campaign challenges and revise as needed with the goal of improving the experience for young people as they transition from homelessness to housing stability. Their tight collaboration and a relentless focus on seeking and responding to client feedback gives me great hope that Rising Up will continue to accelerate and move even more young people durably out of homelessness.
As always, read on for more.
Onward,
Chris Block
Director, Chronic Homelessness Initiative
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Spotlight: Rising Up in Progress
In October 2018, Mayor London Breed announced the Rising Up Campaign – a public-private partnership led by the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) and anchored by Larkin Street Youth Services. Since its inception, Rising Up has housed 55 young people while contracting with established non-profit partners to build out a full team of case managers. At Access Points throughout San Francisco, young people can engage with problem solving services and be assessed for program eligibility. Once prioritized for housing referral, Rising Up Case Managers from 3rd Street Youth Center and Clinic, Five Keys, First Place for Youth, Larkin Street, and At the Crossroads help prepare them for and connect them with housing.
Once a young person has been assessed and is ready to move in, Brilliant Corners - another Tipping Point partner - leverages relationships with landlords and property managers throughout the City to connect tenants with private market homes. Rising Up provides young people with a monthly subsidy for up to three years to help cover the costs of rent. In addition to housing placement and income support, Rising Up participants receive case management and other services from non-profit partners. Case managers help young people connect with education and employment opportunities, behavioral health services – whatever they need to succeed. Rising Up also partners with the Office of Financial Empowerment to provide expert financial coaching and help participants establish a budget for less than the full amount of their subsidy, with the goal of building up a base of savings by the time they exit the program.
Together, HSH and this constellation of nonprofits provide the most effective solution – a home with services – to help these young people exit homelessness for good. Rising Up continues to gain momentum, and aims to house 200 young people by June. This will mark meaningful progress toward their goal of housing or preventing homelessness for 950 young people by 2023, a critical contribution to our larger effort to reduce chronic homelessness by 50% by 2022. Those interested in supporting Rising Up should contact Kathie Lowrie.
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 | Crestina Scolaro, Program Manager, Rising Up |
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I feel humbled to be a part of young people's journey, and for them to be vulnerable and open to sharing their stories. That is the drive that keeps me going, and while the things folks share can weigh on my heart, this is how we support and guide young people in planting their seeds for a better future.
Crestina joined the Rising Up campaign in her 6th year at Larkin Street Youth Services, after serving first as an academic intern, then providing outreach and counseling services to young people experiencing homelessness in the Haight. She grew deeply connected to the Haight Street community and the young people she worked with there, and brings the client-centered, strengths-based approach that defines Larkin Street Youth Services to her role supervising case managers for Rising Up.
Young people who have experienced trauma, mental illness, addiction, or homelessness face stigma when seeking help. Leading with the expertise she built on Haight Street, Crestina and her team receive their clients with openness and compassion, reminding them that asking for help is healthy, strong behavior. They then guide young people to define their goals, build intensive road maps to achieve them, and provide the support they need to complete the journey.
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 | Gyno Rodriguez, Case Manager, Rising Up |
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Working together, we guide transition-aged youth in San Francisco to overcome barriers to their housing, educational, employment, and health goals.
Gyno serves as a Case Manager at 3rd Street Youth Center and Clinic, a community-based agency that supports and advances the health, safety, and development of young people in Bayview Hunters Point. A native San Franciscan, Gyno considers it a great honor and privilege to work with the youth and young adults of the city he still calls home. He has always sought to provide the ground work that promotes attainability and sustainability for young people, and Rising Up is part of building that foundation. As a Rising Up Case Manager, Gyno leverages his own experience to connect with young people and help them build toward their goals.
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Chronic Homelessness Initiative Overview
There are approximately 3,000 people experiencing chronic homelessness on any given night in San Francisco. Tipping Point’s $100 million pledge marks the single largest private investment to address homelessness in City history.
Tipping Point takes a three-pronged approach to our impact goal. See here for more details. If you are receiving this email as a forward, subscribe here to receive this update monthly.
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