We look forward to an exciting month ahead celebrating Pride and Juneteenth. Make sure to stay connected with us through our social media and view our upcoming emails. Exciting news, we are relaunching our Spotlight monthly emails and can't wait to keep you in the loop on all things ECS! In this issue we share information about:
What's in this issue:
- Canon Kip Senior Center's Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Celebration
- Groundbreaking at The Tahanan, an Innovative Supportive Housing Initiative
- Point-in-Time Count for Homelessness in San Francisco
- Workforce Development Update
- Read our Impact Statements
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(above: Flores de Mayo celebration participations pose for a group photo) |
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Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Celebration by Canon Kip Senior Center |
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ECS joined the nation in celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month in May. Then and now, we honor the invaluable contributions of over 22 million Americans who trace their roots to more than 20 countries in East and Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent, in addition to the millions who came before throughout our country’s history.
ECS’ Canon Kip Senior Center (CKSC) embodies a vital role in the lives of Asian, and in particular, Filipino, San Franciscans, who have deep ties to the South of Market dating back over a century. Each year, the CKSC hosts the traditional Filipino celebration of Flores de Mayo, or "Flowers of May." This year's event was held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts on May 20.
Nearly 150 people attended the event to enjoy music, dance, intricate and colorful garb, and delicious food. We look forward to commemorating the 25th anniversary of CKSC’s sponsorship of Flores de Mayo next year.
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Ceremonial Ribbon-Cutting at The Tahanan |
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(above: a Tahanan resident takes part in ceremonial ribbon-cutting with representatives from the City of San Francisco, ECS, and partner organizations)
On April 28, representatives from ECS, Mercy Housing, our partner organizations, and the City of San Francisco came together to celebrate and ceremonially open the Tahanan, an innovative supportive housing establishment. The 147 San Franciscans who call the Tahanan home have permanently exited homelessness and have gained access to supportive services designed to help them improve their health and achieve their goals.
The Tahanan is a "modular construction" building. The units are factory-built and shipped to site. This model helps cut construction costs for supportive housing in nearly half and significantly reduces the time needed to complete building and begin housing neighbors.
ECS is codeveloping San Francisco's largest supportive housing project at 1064 Mission with Mercy Housing using the same model, and we look forward to welcoming residents this fall.
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2022 Point-in-Time Count Data Released in San Francisco |
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After being on pause since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, communities across the country conducted their point-in-time count on homelessness earlier this year.
In data released on the most recent PIT count by the San Francisco Department of Homeless and Supportive Services, there is cause for optimism: although overall homelessness in San Francisco fell only by 3.5% since 2019, unsheltered homelessness has been reduced by 15%, and chronic homelessness, defined as individuals experiencing homelessness for more than a year or at least four times over a three-year period, is down 11%. ECS is proud to be a major contributor to this progress.
During the course of the pandemic, ECS managed 8 shelter-in-place hotels and served 1,399 guests in addition to our existing permanent and interim housing portfolio. At the same time, we added 451 units of new permanent supportive housing capacity. Last year alone, ECS served 1 million meals to neighbors experiencing food insecurity.
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As People Return to Work, ECS Workforce Development is Stepping Up |
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Over the past few months, ECS Workforce Development initiatives have been updated to meet the needs of program participants as well as the social services field.
Last month, ECS celebrated the 16th Annual CHEFS Gala, which showcases one of our flagship Workforce Development programs. The CHEFS program, which teaches individuals commercial kitchen skills and helps them secure work as they stabilize their lives, enrolled a new class of students earlier this year, and returning for the first time since 2019, the CHEFS Gala raised over $200,000. Photos from the event, captured and curated by Drew Altizer Photography, are available to view here.
A new initiative created last year, the Social Services Sector Training Program, also enrolled its first group of students this spring. It is a pioneering initiative aimed at bridging the operational gaps and mission-oriented goals of social services organizations with the self-sufficiency aspirations and intrinsic talents of jobseekers with lived experience of homelessness.
Finally, we revamped the Resource Center into a full-fledged Next Step Center. The Next Step Center, commonly referred to as the Job Center, is assisting participants with educational needs, resume-writing, interview skills, and more.
Education, training, and work are often linked to an individual’s sense of social worth, economic and emotional health, and self-esteem. ECS is committed to the dignity of each individual because we know that the road to recovery from chronic homelessness and extreme poverty is a uniquely personal journey.
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Have You Read Our
Impact Statements?
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ECS Impact Statements share our values and impact on major observations and events throughout the year and was launched in early 2022. Please take a minute to read our statements here and let us know your thoughts!
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Episcopal Community Services of San Francisco
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