Since its inception, Tipping Point has identified and invested in effective homelessness solutions in the San Francisco Bay Area. To combat the growing crisis of homelessness in San Francisco, Tipping Point launched the Chronic Homelessness Initiative (CHI), aimed at cutting chronic homelessness in half from 2017 – 2022.
To activate individuals, corporations, nonprofits, and neighborhoods in the fight to cut homelessness in half in San Francisco, CHI powered a collective action campaign called All In. Although homelessness is a highly visible issue in San Francisco, many residents are uninformed about the root cause of why so many are sleeping on the streets. All In’s goal was to educate and inform residents about this critical issue, and invite residents to champion solutions that work: homes and services for stable and healthy lives.
Over the course of the campaign, All In made incredible strides to impact the City for years to come:
Increased data collection and transparency
All In produced monthly Snapshots (last installment: June Snapshot), which gathered the available, relevant, current data on homelessness across the City, and crunched that data to make it more accessible, while also offering insights into progress being made to reduce homelessness. In doing so, the campaign worked to connect policies and numbers to the real-world implications for the people whose lives were being affected.
Championed effective, life-changing strategies
The goal was to create 1,100 new units of permanent supportive housing all over the city. All In advocated for a flexible housing subsidy pool because we believe that every neighborhood can step up to help end homelessness. Today, the flexible housing subsidy pool has become a pillar of the City’s housing strategy. The City has budgeted over $150 million dollars to support a goal of housing over 1,400 people in rental units all across San Francisco. You can continue to monitor the City’s progress.
Engaged the Public in Solutions to Homelessness
As we said from the outset, the public’s role is essential in driving and achieving long-term, lasting progress. The campaign was designed to educate and engage. Through social media and email marketing campaigns, All In supporters had resources to talk about homelessness in San Francisco with family and friends. Campaign supporters called, texted, and wrote letters to elected officials and other City leaders asking them to do more, and to act with greater urgency in exiting our neighbors from homelessness. Advocacy ensured that City leaders continue to make homelessness a top issue.
Centered individuals with lived experience
The Community Advisory Board (CAB) formed by Tipping Point’s Chronic Homelessness Initiative served as the campaign’s compass readers, guiding in both practice and procedure. The Community Focus blog series and ‘What Does Home Mean to You?’ storytelling event highlighted those at the forefront of this work, sharing invaluable lessons and insights on the realities, needs, and challenges that exist for our unhoused neighbors.
While All In sunsetted in the summer of 2022, an evergreen tool to support San Franciscans in finding their roles in solutions to homelessness exists on the The NeighborGood Guide.
