The Coalition on Homelessness is an American homeless advocacy and social justice organization that focuses on creating long-term solutions to homelessness, poverty, and

housing Housing, or more generally, living spaces, refers to the construction and assigned usage of houses or buildings individually or collectively, for the purpose of shelter. Housing ensures that members of society have a place to live, whether i ...

issues in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. Founded in 1987, the group also founded the newspaper '' Street Sheet'' and the

Community Housing Partnership Community Housing Partnership is a nonprofit organization in San Francisco, California, that provides housing, job training and other services to people formerly living in homelessness. Founded in 1990, it owns and operates 14 residential buildings ...

. It is based on Turk Street in the Tenderloin district.

History

Origin and early years (1987–1990)

The Coalition was formed in 1987 from a collaboration of San Francisco service providers and homeless people. It was created in reaction to cuts of social service programs by the Reagan administration. The original idea for the Coalition on Homelessness was shared at

Hospitality House Hospitality House (aka Central City Hospitality House) is a house of hospitality-type center that serves the homeless and poor of San Francisco, specifically those of the Tenderloin district of the city, where it is located. At a drop-in day cente ...

and the Tenderloin Housing Clinic. In 1989, the '' Street Sheet'' was founded.

1990s

In 1990, following the Loma Prieta Earthquake, the Coalition created the first supportive housing for homeless people in San Francisco as Community Housing Partnership, providing permanent affordable housing and services such as employment opportunities, job training, and case management. In 1996, the Coalition fought against the city's “Matrix Program,” an initiative of Mayor Frank Jordan’s aimed at addressing homelessness through police and criminalization, including getting 39,000 tickets dismissed in court and the eventual end of the program.

2010s

In 2015 the Coalition released two reports: “The Roadmap,” a five-year plan to end homelessness.

References

External links

Official website
*Two-part interview with co-founder and long-time executive director Paul Boden

{{US housing by state Homelessness organizations Affordable housing advocacy organizations Organizations based in San Francisco Organizations established in 1987 Homelessness in the United States Housing organizations in the United States Housing in California