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The idea for
our agency was the outgrowth of a 1995 five-year community plan, called
the Continuum of Care Plan, which addressed possible services and
solutions to homelessness in San
Francisco. During the process of developing this
plan, job counselors from homeless agencies repeatedly stated that a
primary barrier to employment for their clients was the lack of
accessibility to personal hygiene items. Working Essentials was
established in 1996 to address this community need.
Working
Essentials is the only organization that actually solicits, picks up
and coordinates distribution
of "essential items" on behalf of the agencies served, absolutely
free of charge, saving these agencies both time and money. Over the
past eight years, Working Essentials has distributed over $900,000 worth
of material support to agencies serving homeless men, women and families
in San Francisco,
reaching over 15,000 individuals.
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Thank you
for visiting our website.
We hope
through our site you acquire a clear understanding of the services we
provide to people who are homeless and trying to stabilize their lives in
San Francisco. This program was born out of a community need and we are
glad to be able to work on fulfilling it. We are proud to be part of
Working Essentials and greatly appreciate all the contributions the
program has received from our supporters. It is because of our supporters
that we can assist individuals in better preparing for job interviews.
All of us
at Working Essentials realize that there are two major ways to reduce
homelessness in the San Francisco Bay Area. One is to increase the amount
of low income housing units for local residents. The other is to create
the ability for people who work here to earn a living wage, allowing them
to afford the rents. While we support big picture solutions, our focus is
to offer immediate assistance by providing "essentials" to
people who are striving towards employment and who need basic support to
reach their goal. We hope you will join in on our efforts.
On behalf of the agencies and their clients served, thank you for your
interest in our program.
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