In the News
Beth Stokes — executive director of the San Francisco-based shelter-and-services provider Episcopal Community Services — said she hopes at least some of those vouchers might be used to address another choke point in The City’s shelter and supportive-housing system.
Stokes told The Examiner that too often, the system — which generally prioritizes those with the highest needs, including those with medical or mental health challenges as well as those who have been on the street the longest — has neglected many relatively well-off people.
“Once we meet that person who comes into shelter, they might say, ‘Hey, I have a full time job. I’m making $1,500 a month,’” [ECS Executive Director Beth Stokes] said. “That’s a perfect person to get out of the system really quickly,” with even a modest amount of support such as, for example, an emergency housing voucher.
HCLA designed 1064 Mission Street in San Francisco, the largest and most complex publicly funded, modular development of its kind dedicated to supporting people who’ve been chronically homeless. The project includes a pioneering convergence of program: 256 studio apartments and an array of shared indoor and outdoor supportive spaces for adults and seniors, the Maria X Martinez Health Resource Center, the San Francisco Homeless Outreach Team Headquarters and Episcopal Community Services’ CHEFS program, a social enterprise that trains formerly unhoused adults to be chefs in local commercial kitchens.
“Completed in January, 600 Seventh includes larger units with two and three bedrooms, and a comprehensive mix of resident and supportive services. Episcopal Community Services of San Francisco provides essential supportive housing services to help residents maintain stability.”
“ECS’ Executive Director Beth Stokes spoke with The Examiner in a recent interview about the challenges in running a nonprofit in San Francisco. She said she’s prepared for changes both good and bad in the coming months as Mayor Daniel Lurie’s administration addresses The City’s homelessness crisis and changes from President Donald Trump’s administration threaten federal avenues of support.”
“If we’re gonna continue to operate the housing, we have to pay the insurance,” said Chris Callandrillo, ECS’ Chief Program Officer. “We’ve got to get that from somewhere, and that burden is huge.”
For Pride Month, the editorial teams at the Nob Hill Gazette and the San Francisco Examiner wanted toshine a spotlight on leaders in the LGBTQ+ community, those who are making a difference in the City that is synonymous with Pride. In 2025, when federal rights are being challenged, accomplishments erased and identities targeted, this focus feels more important than ever. Thank you, Nob Hill Gazette, for featuring ECS’ work.
“…we’re asking people who support ECS to dig deeper into philanthropy to provide more support, particularly around basic needs. It’s going into the community to ask for additional support. If the funding is not there, which is all that we hear right now, there is no more money. If budgets get cut, which they [have been], then how do you move forward and help people survive with basic needs?”
“It’s money that local governments and their nonprofit partners, like Episcopal Community Services, rely on to tackle homelessness, and they’re at risk of losing it.”
“Would you rather have people on the street, suffering, their health completely deteriorating, with no quality of life?” asked Beth Stokes, Executive Director of ECS. “Versus being here — this is stable. This is peaceful. People get well here. And it’s actually a better bargain for the taxpayers.”
Thank you, KQED, for spotlighting the new Trump administration rules that threaten to cut off vital federal homelessness funding. These funds support services that truly change lives. Read more about residents like Sloan, who says stable housing and wraparound support have helped him rebuild his life.
“Three years later, Reed’s life has taken a turn. He’s living at a permanent supportive housing site run by the nonprofit Episcopal Community Services, where he has his own room — air fryer and all.
But a budget proposal President Donald Trump announced this month could make life much harder for Reed and others like him. The proposal would gut housing funds for the city and nonprofits that depend on federal money to keep people housed.”