Community Housing Partnership

COMMUNITY HOUSING PARTNERSHIP'S MISSION IS TO HELP HOMELESS PEOPLE SECURE HOUSING AND BECOME SELF-SUFFICIENT.

COMMUNITY HOUSING PARTNERSHIP IS THE LEADING NONPROFIT PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING PROVIDER IN SAN FRANCISCO. THREE OF OUR MAIN AREAS OF FOCUS ARE: 1) PROVIDING SUPPORTIVE HOUSING TO FORMERLY HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS, FAMILIES & YOUTHS THAT HELPS THEM TO BECOME SELF-SUFFICIENT AND MOVE ON TO INDEPENDENT OR LESS SERVICE-ENRICHED HOUSING. 2) PROVIDING A JOB TRAINING AND JOB PLACEMENT PROGRAM TO HELP FORMERLY HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS BECOME SELF-SUPPORTING. 3) UTILIZING OUR COMMUNITY ORGANIZING & RESIDENT ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM TO ADVOCATE FOR PUBLIC AND GOVERNMENTAL SUPPORT FOR POLICIES THAT ADDRESS THE ROOT CAUSES OF HOMELESSNESS AND EXPAND HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES FOR LOW-INCOME INDIVIDUALS.

COMMUNITY HOUSING PARTNERSHIP CURRENTLY OWNS, MANAGES, AND/OR PROVIDES SERVICES IN 17 BUILDINGS IN SAN FRANCISCO WHICH SERVED OVER 1,900 INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES LAST YEAR. ALL OF CHP'S HOUSING PROPERTIES ARE SERVICE ENRICHED: THEY EITHER HAVE PROGRAMS AND SERVICES ONSITE OR CO-LOCATED WITH ANOTHER ONE OF OR PROPERTIES NEARBY. SERVICES INCLUDE EVERYTHING FROM BASIC CASE MANAGEMENT WITH REGULAR CHECK-INS, TO BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE COUNSELING, LIFE SKILLS & BUDGETING. RESIDENT ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES INCLUDING VOLUNTEER IN THE COMMUNITY AND ADVOCATING FOR CHANGES TO HOUSING POLICIES. CURRENTLY 98% OF OUR RESIDENTS ARE MAINTAINING STABLE HOUSING.

CHP'S EMPLOYMENT SERVICES IS A WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM WHICH PROVIDES A WAY TO MITIGATE SOME OF THE BARRIERS WHICH TRADITIONALLY PREVENT INDIVIDUALS FROM OBTAINING JOBS. SUCH AS PRIOR CRIMINAL CHARGES, PHYSICAL AND/OR MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, A LACK OF WORK EXPERIENCE OR STEADY WORK HISTORY -OR A COMBINATION OF ANY/ALL OF THOSE. OUR 15-MONTH PROGRAM ADDRESSES THIS PROBLEM BY PROVIDING JOB SKILLS TRAINING, PAID ON-THE-JOB TRAINING AND WORK EXPERIENCE WITH CHP'S SOCIAL ENTERPRISE, HELP TO APPLY FOR AND SECURE PERMANENT POSITIONS, AS WELL AS ONE YEAR OF CONTINUED SUPPORT AND MENTORSHIP TO ENSURE THE PROGRAM GRADUATE'S CONTINUING SUCCESS AND JOB RETENTION.

WE CURRENTLY OWN, MANAGE, AND/OR PROVIDE SERVICES TO 17 PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING SITES THROUGHOUT SAN FRANCISCO, WHICH COLLECTIVELY HOUSED OVER 1,900 FORMERLY HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES LAST YEAR. MOST CHP RESIDENTS WERE CONSIDERED "CHRONICALLY HOMELESS" (PER HUD'S DEFINITION), WHICH MEANS THAT THEY WERE CONSISTENTLY HOMELESS FOR AT LEAST A YEAR, OR HOMELESS OFF AND ON FOR THE MAJORITY OF 3 YEARS BEFORE THEY CAME TO US. ALL OF OUR RESIDENTS ARE CATEGORIZED AS "LOW" TO "VERY LOW-INCOME", OVER 80% ARE PERSONS OF COLOR, 34% ARE SENIORS, 14% ARE FAMILY UNITS, 46% HAVE A PHYSICAL DISABILITY AND 60% REPORT A CHRONIC MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION. DESPITE THEIR MANY CHALLENGES, AN AMAZING 98% OF CURRENT AND FORMER RESIDENTS ARE REMAINING HOUSED AND PERMANENTLY BREAKING THE CYCLE OF HOMELESSNESS. TOGETHER WITH OUR SUPPORTERS, WE HAVE SHOWN THAT A HOME HAS THE POWER TO STABILIZE A PERSON'S LIFE - HELPING PEOPLE TO IMPROVE THEIR HEALTH, COOK FOR THEIR FAMILY, FIND A JOB, BEGIN PAYING RENT, FEEL A SENSE OF DIGNITY, AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE COMMUNITY.IT IS GENERALLY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE BEST WAY TO HELP FORMERLY HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS ACHIEVE PERMANENT, ECONOMIC STABILITY IS TO HELP THEM REJOIN THE WORKFORCE. CHP'S EMPLOYMENT SERVICES IS A WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM WHICH PROVIDES A WAY TO MITIGATE SOME OF THE BARRIERS WHICH TRADITIONALLY PREVENT INDIVIDUALS FROM OBTAINING JOBS. THESE CAN INCLUDE PRIOR CRIMINAL CHARGES, PHYSICAL AND/OR MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, A LACK OF WORK EXPERIENCE OR STEADY WORK HISTORY -OR A COMBINATION OF ANY/ALL OF THOSE. OUR 15-MONTH PROGRAM ADDRESSES THIS PROBLEM BY PROVIDING JOB SKILLS TRAINING; PAID ON-THE-JOB TRAINING WITH CHP'S SOCIAL ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS SF WHICH SERVES 16 NON-PROFIT AND FOR PROFIT PARTNERS; HELP TO APPLY FOR AND SECURE PERMANENT POSITIONS; AS WELL AS ONE YEAR OF CONTINUED SUPPORT AND MENTORSHIP TO ENSURE THE PROGRAM GRADUATE'S CONTINUING SUCCESS AND JOB RETENTION. HOWEVER, SOME INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED LONG TERM HOMELESSNESS AREN'T READY TO MOVE IMMEDIATELY INTO JOB TRAINING PROGRAMS OR AN ACTUAL JOB, AND NEED AN INTERIM STEP WHILE THEY BUILD LIFE SKILLS, SOCIAL SKILLS AND JOB SKILLS, SO PROGRAM STAFF CREATED THE COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER TEAM (CVT) WHICH ALLOWS INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE RECOVERING FROM HOMELESSNESS TO PERFORM SUPERVISED VOLUNTEER WORK FOR A VARIETY OF LOCAL NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS WHILE GAINING CONFIDENCE AND WORK EXPERIENCE. CURRENTLY, THE PROGRAMS SERVES OVER 150 PARTICIPANTS AND BENEFITS 15 NONPROFITS WHO REGULARLY UTILIZE THE VOLUNTEERS TO HELP CARRY OUT THEIR MISSIONS. ADDITIONALLY, BECAUSE COMMUNITY HOUSING PARTNERSHIP TAKES A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO REDUCING HOMELESSNESS IN SAN FRANCISCO, OUR WORK ADDRESSES BOTH THE IMMEDIATE NEED OF PROVIDING HOUSING AND SERVICES FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE RECOVERING FROM HOMELESSNESS, AS WELL AS ADVOCATING FOR CHANGES TO LAWS AND PUBLIC POLICIES IN ORDER TO ADDRESS THE LARGER SOCIETAL AND ECONOMIC ROOT CAUSES OF HOMELESSNESS. WE OFFER A "WE ARE ALL ORGANIZERS" TRAINING PROGRAM AND ASSOCIATED FIELD TRAINING FOR RESIDENTS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING IN COMMUNITY ORGANIZING. OUR ADVOCACY EFFORTS USE PROVEN, EVIDENCE BASED MESSAGING TO SHOW THAT ALL SF RESIDENTS HAVE A CONNECTION TO, AND STAKE IN, THE HOMELESSNESS CRISIS; HOW PUBLIC POLICIES IMPACT HOMELESSNESS AND POVERTY; AND ALSO TO EXPLAIN THE COLLECTIVE ECONOMIC & SOCIAL BENEFITS OF ADDRESSING THIS PROBLEM. STAFF WORK ALONGSIDE RESIDENT VOLUNTEERS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED HOMELESSNESS THEMSELVES AND ARE TRAINED TO PERFORM OUTREACH AND PUBLIC SPEAKING. THROUGH THIS PROGRAM, CHP GIVES OUR RESIDENTS A VOICE TO ADDRESS ISSUES THAT DIRECTLY IMPACT THEIR LIVES.