San Francisco Mayoral Front-Runners Unify Around Bold Goal to Reduce Homelessness
Tipping Point Community Secures Pledge from Leading Mayoral Candidates to Create 1,000 Homes in their First Year for Homeless San Franciscans
SAN FRANCISCO (May 4, 2018) — Today, Tipping Point Community, a regional non-profit that works to break the cycle of poverty in the Bay Area, announced it has asked each of the candidates for mayor in San Francisco to sign the 1 Year — 1,000 Homes Pledge. The Pledge is a commitment to secure 1,000 units of housing within the mayor’s first year for people who are homeless in San Francisco. To date, all of the leading candidates — Supervisor Angela Alioto, Supervisor Board President London Breed, Ms. Amy Farah Weiss, Supervisor Jane Kim and State Senator Mark Leno — have signed the Pledge. The 1,000 units will be in addition to the existing pipeline of supportive housing and does not include temporary housing solutions.
“What we are seeing on the streets of San Francisco is a crisis that requires bold action,” said Daniel Lurie, CEO + Founder, Tipping Point Community. “At the end of the day, the solution to homelessness is a home — we must focus our creativity and leadership on long-term housing solutions.”
The five candidates all signed on to the following Pledge:
“Nationally, San Francisco ranks first in income inequality. The average income of the top one percent of households in San Francisco is $3.6 million. And yet, one percent of San Franciscans experience homelessness according to the last point in time count.
It would take less than one percent of the City’s housing stock to house every unsheltered person in San Francisco on any given night, and it would take less than one percent of City budget to provide this population with a rent subsidy to keep them housed each year.
Tipping Point and members of the community, including civic, business, philanthropic and housing leaders, are asking each mayoral candidate to commit to ‘1 Year — 1,000 2 Homes,’ securing 1,000 units of housing for the homeless within their first year of taking office.
As San Francisco’s next mayor, I will secure 1,000 units of housing for people experiencing homelessness within my first year of taking office. This will be in addition to the existing pipeline of supportive housing and any temporary housing solutions we put in place.”
Joe Wilson, Executive Director of Hospitality House and a longtime homeless advocate says, “We must ensure that campaign promises become reality. We encourage every resident to join us in supporting the candidates’ pledge to secure 1,000 homes for homeless San Franciscans in their first year.”
Tipping Point is asking the public to show its support for 1 Year — 1,000 Homes by signing an online pledge at http://www.tippingpoint.org/pledge. The 1 Year — 1,000 Homes Pledge builds on Tipping Point’s Chronic Homelessness Initiative, launched one year ago this month. The organization has committed $100 million to this effort, with a goal of cutting chronic homelessness in half in San Francisco by 2022.
About Tipping Point Community
Tipping Point Community works to break the cycle of poverty for individuals and families in the Bay Area. Since 2005, Tipping Point has raised more than $200 million to support the 1.3 million people in the Bay Area who are too poor to meet their basic needs. We leverage the resources and expertise of our community to invest in solutions that prevent poverty: a nurturing early childhood, strong education, gainful employment, and stable housing. We are laser-focused on metrics and hold our partners and ourselves accountable for results. Our Board covers 100% of our costs, so every dollar donated goes where it’s needed most. To learn more, visit www.tippingpoint.org.
