Saint Francis Foundation, Saint Francis Memorial Hospital And Key Partners Commit $1 Million To Tenderloin Initiative

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Saint Francis Foundation and Saint Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco, in conjunction with several major companies and non-profit organizations, today committed $1 million in funding for the Tenderloin Health Improvement Partnership (Tenderloin HIP).

The mission of Tenderloin HIP is to align and leverage the efforts of more than 150 nonprofits, government agencies, and corporate partners currently working in the community to improve the health, safety and well-being of the Tenderloin, one of the most challenged neighborhoods in San Francisco.

"Tenderloin HIP is doing something entirely new: It's bringing together community stakeholders and asking them to coordinate their efforts to promote the greater good," said Kevin Causey, President of the Saint Francis Foundation. "The Tenderloin's challenges are bigger than any one organization can solve on its own and require coordinated action.  Our $1 million commitment over the next 12 months is the single largest financial commitment for a collective impact project to date in the Tenderloin and is the beginning of a long-term commitment."

Tenderloin HIP was launched by the Saint Francis Foundation and Saint Francis Memorial Hospital and is a public-private initiative based on public health and collective impact methodologies.  The Foundation has committed more than $750,000 over the next year to support high-impact projects that require additional resources and coordination across multiple nonprofit organizations and government agencies.

Key Partnerships
Citi Community Development, PG&E, Wells Fargo, the San Francisco Foundation, Georgette M. Beainy Trust, Dignity Health and Twitter today announced their participation and roles as founding corporate partners of Tenderloin HIP.  Their commitment will support the initiative's priority projects, which include reopening Boeddeker Park, expanding the Safe Passage initiative and launching a new digital community platform for Tenderloin residents.

Tenderloin HIP has created a key partnership with the Mayor's Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD) and has the strong support of Supervisors Jane Kim (District 6) and David Chiu (District 3), both of whom serve the Tenderloin.

"Tenderloin HIP appreciates the ongoing support of Mayor Lee, Supervisor Kim and Supervisor Chiu, who are collectively working to improve the Tenderloin," Causey said.  "For companies moving to the mid-Market Area, a community contribution through Tenderloin HIP is one way to help satisfy the covenants in the city's development plan."

Mike Billeci, Executive Vice President of Wells Fargo Bank's San Francisco Bay Region, said: "Saint Francis, through Tenderloin HIP, is providing the leadership that will help take back the Tenderloin block-by-block.  We now have an effective platform to strategically direct resources to make the Tenderloin a better place for everyone." 

Ezra Garrett, Vice President for Community Relations at PG&E, said: "PG&E has proudly served the Tenderloin neighborhood, and its diverse population, for more than a century. As a founding partner of Tenderloin HIP, we are pleased to be a part of this collaboration to improve the lives and health of the people who call this community home."

Fred Blackwell, CEO of The San Francisco Foundation, said: "The Tenderloin is a neighborhood of tremendous diversity and promise that will benefit greatly from the coordination of government, community and corporate resources. Tenderloin HIP deserves our strong support because it is accelerating positive change and improving the lives of the 33,000 individuals and families who live and work here."

About Tenderloin HIP
The Tenderloin Health Improvement Partnership (Tenderloin HIP) is a unique public-private initiative, grounded in public health and collective impact methodologies, directed and sponsored by the Saint Francis Foundation and Saint Francis Memorial Hospital.  The mission of Tenderloin HIP is to improve community health, safety and well-being for the more than 33,000 individuals and families who live in this 40-square block area. For information, contact Jennifer Kiss, Director, Tenderloin HIP at [email protected].

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SOURCE Saint Francis Foundation