Please click this link from Saint Paulus Lutheran church (3 minute read) about a new initiative they'll be launching, when they return to their newly renovated church next year. The program is very simple: Saint Paulus will encourage the homeless to bring in their resume (or the church will help write one up). While the street dweller is enjoying a shower at the church (yes, there will be showers on site), Saint Paulus will match their credentials to an available job, posted by a local nonprofit, and employment will start immediately. The individual will live in a hotel or SRO (single room occupancy) during their standard employment probation period (30 or 60 days). During this time, Saint Paulus will source permanent, affordable housing for the individual.
The church's 'Showering the Homeless with Jobs' program is outstandingly logical and received thumbs up from industry experts. From one church, with one shower, with one resume, with one job, with one home that reduces the poverty in San Francisco by 30% in the first two years of the program operating, this will make for international headline news. Nonprofits around the globe will then follow suit, using Saint Paulus's blueprint to reduce poverty in their own city - using their on site showers or partnering with nearby school gym showers.
Earlier this year after conceptualizing this idea, Saint Paulus sourced an employment partner that would feature nonprofit jobs, they accumulated the resources for volunteers to manage the program and clothing & home furnishings for applicants future apartments. The only spanner in the works that Saint Paulus experienced when they crafted this initiative, pre Covid-19, was sourcing affordable housing or SROs. They were so scarce due to landlords only wanting to develop expensive condos for the tech community. As a result, affordable housing was pushed to the end of the line and the few available apartments were at rock bottom numbers, causing a caveat for the program's life cycle to rotate effectively.
A few months ago, the church spoke to city officials who promised to keep their eyes and ears open for housing opportunities. This week, that promise came true. A kind hearted and pursuit-for-good official talked with an organization that had property owner clients chomping to develop SROs yet didn't have an audience, since 20% of San Francisco residents had permanently pandemic-fled the city for cheaper homes outside the Bay Area.
This blessing in disguise opportunity has resulted in Saint Paulus discussing their program with the organization, that now has an abundance of affordable homes to rent. So when Saint Paulus returns to 999 Eddy Street early next year, and the 'Showering the Homeless with Jobs' program kicks off, all their ducks are in a row to jump start the program: jobs, homes and the adulation of seeing the needy getting a second chance in life.
Covid-19 has thrown the planet into a different curve ball yet there are silver linings all around us. For over 30 years, SF CARES has advocated for the homeless and with our partners, such as Saint Paulus Lutheran church, we are finally seeing a light at the end of the coronavirus tunnel. Empty tech buildings that are perfectly painted, decorated and have state of the art kitchens will be home to nonprofit programs - programs that went abandoned due to big tech grabbing all available, price hemorrhaged square ft in our beloved city. Empty SROs and affordable apartments will now be home to thousands of diverse individuals that were hanging on by a thread for years, unable to pay sky high rents.
The silver linings are all around us and this is the time we're now turning lemons into lemonade by seeing these gem slithers of opportunities, and helping the needy get back on their own two feet. If you want to support Saint Paulus by way of a donation (monetary, clothing or home furnishings) to their Showering/Homeless program, have connection that may help their initiative or are looking to volunteer your time, please email our partner church: admin@saintpaulus.org
And most importantly: Have faith that good things do happen to good people.
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