5/29/2017
Tipping Point Community has pledged $100 million to cut San Francisco's homeless numbers in half. These funds will build on existing city efforts to address the growing needs of its most vulnerable population. The last count found that 1,745 people were considered chronically homeless. CEO Daniel Lurie estimates that number to be closer to 2,000, as he aims to get 1,000 homeless people off the streets over the next five years.
One of Tipping Point's first priorities is to tackle housing. Lurie and team hope to deploy innovative building solutions, like stackable compact housing units, which are cheaper and quicker to build than standard designs. Still, there are a number of hurdles to overcome. Community support for new housing developments has been mixed, and room to build is scarce. There also seems to be a revolving door of new people taking to the streets every day.
Tipping Point hopes to address some of the underlying causes of homelessness by funding support services, like rehabilitation and mental health. Funds will also be used to attract more state and federal funding. Jeff Kositsky, head of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, considers the grant a "game changer." According to him, "We need more tools...We can't just build our way out of this problem." LEARN MORE