In the News
“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.”
“This reduction will harm our ability to make progress in addressing the humanitarian crisis on our streets,” Beth Stokes, executive director of Episcopal Community Services.
“When compared to other jurisdictions, San Francisco reportedly has the highest percentage of shelter guests with severe mental illness or addiction. But shelter operators say they don’t have enough funding or resources to support their high-needs clients or to address street conditions outside their buildings.”
The group of volunteers make about 2,000 meals a year. This batch will be going to the Mentone, a permanent supportive housing site in the city’s Tenderloin.
“Research consistently shows supportive housing — like the kind [ECS resident] Bukenya is receiving — leads not only to positive changes in residents’ lives, but to cost savings for taxpayers, too.”
Read the full KQED story here.
“Folks can just come to the front door, because they need to be in a safe place, out of the inclement weather. They just want to be able to walk in, have a bed for the night and leave in the morning,” said Beth Stokes, executive director of Episcopal Community Services.
“…he spoke to a small gathering of his neighbors at 1064 Mission St., the city’s largest site of permanent supportive housing, which the government makes available to formerly homeless tenants. Episcopal Community Services, which operates the site, and the Department of Elections had arranged a voter education workshop for residents.
“[permanent supportive housing] is so much more affordable in comparison to incarceration or long-term hospitalization or literally the cost of one emergency room visit,” said Travis Hamilton, associate director of housing services for Episcopal Community Services, which owns and operates Bukenya’s building.
“Earlier this year, All Home and NPH had conversations with community partners in the housing justice field to learn more about their needs around storytelling — a powerful strategy that can be hard to do well. All Home and NPH designed their initiative to help meet those needs, and put out a call to organizations interested in participating in the storytelling initiative.”