Hamilton Family Center

Background

This year as many as 3.5 million people, or almost one percent of Americans, will experience homelessness [1]. A 2007 count in San Francisco found 6,377 homeless people living on the streets and in transitional or emergency shelters [2]. Of these, up to twenty percent are part of a homeless family [3].

For most homeless families, homelessness is the result of the gap between income and the shortage of affordable housing [4]. The most cost effective and successful tool in getting families off the street – and out of homelessness – is through a "housing first" approach, providing supportive housing, not just shelter beds [5] [6].

By adopting this housing first policy, San Francisco has permanently housed more than 610 people since 2003 and is creating permanent solutions to end homelessness [7]. San Francisco has gone from having one of the most pervasive homeless problems in the country to a city held as a national model for its efforts to end and prevent homelessness.

Organization Mission

Hamilton Family Center (HFC) is a San Francisco-based organization focused on returning families to independent living and assisting families and individuals in maintaining their housing.

The Hamilton Family Center's program, First Avenues: Housing Solutions for Families, launched in July 2006, is the landmark Housing First for Families program in San Francisco. The program is focused on rapidly re-housing families into permanent homes as well as helping families avoid eviction and entry into the shelter system. Using creative tactics - such as loans to families in danger of eviction and temporary rental subsidies - First Avenues motivates families to leave shelters and increase their earning potential.

Full Circle Fund Role

Full Circle Fund first partnered with the Hamilton Family Center was in 2002 when we worked on a successful project that provided financing and operating plans for Hamilton's Dudley Apartments. We are proud to again support the Hamilton Family Center, this time on their transformative program, First Avenues - Housing Solutions for Families, aligned with Mayor Gavin Newsom's 10 YearPlan to End Homelessness.

The Affordable Housing Impact Circle is helping institutionalize the findings of the First Avenues program to benefit other housing providers in the Bay Area and around the country. Full Circle Fund members will work to attract greater funding to significantly expand Hamilton's non-shelter services for families that at risk of losing their housing or are already homeless.

Full Circle Fund's project is focused on three components:

1. Help document best practices among Housing First providers.
2. Ensure that data captured through Hamilton's own measurement and monitoring system is best utilized.
3. Create an external communications analysis and set of recommendations for newsletters and website.

Thanks

Our endless thanks to volunteer Kristine Molnar for her diligent research and writing assistance on this grant project description.

Sources

¹ Source Book on Family Homelessness Problems and Solutions (PDF), National Alliance to End Homelessness, Washington, DC, 2004
² Abbot, Kerry, Little Shelagh, San Francisco Human Services Agency, San Francisco 2007 Homeless Count (PDF), San Francisco, 2007
³ "U.S. homeless numbers decline: Nationwide: 'Supportive' housing seen as good start," by Kevin Fagan, San Francisco Chronicle, May 14, 2006
⁴ Source Book on Family Homelessness Problems and Solutions (PDF), National Alliance to End Homelessness, Washington, DC, 2004
⁵ Ibid. (14)
⁶ "Shame of the city: A daily walk finds fewer homeless Second of Three Parts," by Kevin Fagan, San Francisco Chronicle, October 30, 2006
⁷ Abbot, Kerry, Little Shelagh, San Francisco Human Services Agency, San Francisco 2007 Homeless Count (PDF), San Francisco, 2007

NAME: Hamilton Family Center
LOCATION: San Francisco
WEB: hamiltonfamilycenter.org
GRANT TERM: 2007-2008
TEAM LEAD: Mikhal Bouganim