Photo Credit: Drew Altizer Photography
Tipping Point Community hosted its 9th Annual Awards Breakfast on Dec. 3 in honor of extraordinary organizations and individuals committed to changing the odds for people living in poverty in the San Francisco Bay Area. It was a morning of reflection — on the chronic and pressing issues our community faces, and on the inspiring people audacious enough to step forward and lead the way.
The breakfast recognized Community Housing Partnership, The Stride Center and Nurse-Family Partnership for tireless service to the 1.3 million Bay Area residents too poor to meet their basic needs, and for the first time ever, a Tipping Point staff member was recognized. Tipping Point Board member Chris James and Leadership Council members Shipley Salewski and Arno Harris were on hand to present the awards.
“We have reached a boiling point in our community. The problems we face are huge and overwhelming. Seven out of 10 people born in poverty will remain in poverty their whole lives,” said Daniel Lurie, Tipping Point’s CEO and Founder who will be featured in the upcoming January/February 2016 issue of Haute Living Magazine San Francisco. “But I believe and the data shows that the moment someone enters the doors of a Tipping Point grantee, their chances of overcoming those odds increase dramatically. When you break this problem down into individual lives and tactical strategies, that’s when we see real gains.”
The 2015 Tipping Point Honorees:
Community Housing Partnership, a Tipping Point grantee since 2012, provides supportive housing to formerly homeless individuals and families. “When I became the Executive Director of Community Housing Partnership in 2010, I had my eye on Tipping Point,” said Gail Gilman. “I knew there must be some way to have a bigger impact, to be more relevant and data-driven. Today, CHP’s vision is to develop a housing ladder to create mobility from homelessness to fully independent living. By 2020, 10% of our tenants will have the ability to move out on their own each year. Another 50% will be on the pathway to no longer depending on their case manager.”
Tipping Point has partnered with The Stride Center, which prepares low-income individuals with the skills and confidence necessary to secure jobs in the IT sector, since 2009. “While many tech programs target young people, at Stride you are eligible at any age, and at little or no cost,” said Executive Director Barrie Hathaway. “All together, we offer six stackable certifications — things like help desk technician, to cyber security, server administration, and software development. The certifications are universally recognized. Last year alone, Stride candidates were hired by 120 different Bay Area companies. Stride is developing talent for leading Bay Area tech companies that can’t hire fast enough.”
Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) has been in Tipping Point’s portfolio for three years and is an evidence-based, community health program that transforms the lives of vulnerable first-time moms and their babies. “The power of NFP is that we willingly and effectively work with the most vulnerable families in our communities,” said Roxane White, CEO. “NFP’s model is backed by 38 years of randomized controlled research, the highest form of evidence-based rigor. A study by the RAND Corporation found that for every dollar invested in NFP, we can expect a $5.70 return on that investment.”
Senior Program Officer Nick Arevalo has been a member of Tipping Point’s impact + learning team since 2010. Arevalo is one of the architects of Tipping Point’s customized grantee metrics portal and has a deep personal connection to our poverty-fighting mission. “I am the product of an intervention that worked,” he said. “In the wake of losing both of my parents as a teenager, it was my pre-college program that kept me on track. The staff went above and beyond to help my family heal and allowed me to hold on to my dreams. I know that when things feel dire — when you’re not sure if you can go on — that’s when the right opportunity can lead to something radically better.”
Photo Credit: Drew Altizer PhotographyDrew Altizer Photography
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