{"id":12135,"date":"2019-05-21T09:49:27","date_gmt":"2019-05-21T13:49:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=12135"},"modified":"2022-10-09T07:35:07","modified_gmt":"2022-10-09T11:35:07","slug":"billionaires-donate-30-million-to-fund-homeless-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/billionaires-donate-30-million-to-fund-homeless-research\/","title":{"rendered":"Billionaires Donate $30 Million to Fund Homeless Research Project"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Lynne and Marc Benioff donated $30 million to the University of California in San Francisco. Earmarked for evidence-based research, the money will be used to create the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative<\/a>. This initiative will help find sustainable solutions to ending homelessness.<\/p>\n

Marc Benioff is the Chief Executive Officer for the San Francisco based customer relationship management company Salesforce. A longtime ally and advocate of policies to address homelessness, Benioff helped spearhead last year’s movement to pass Proposition C<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Despite receiving criticism from competitors in the tech industry, Proposition C is an approved ballet initiative. Lawmakers designed the initiative to tax large companies based in San Francisco and use the funds to combat homelessness. It is still in the process of receiving approval from California courts.<\/p>\n

Finding the best strategy for using Prop C funds motivated the Benioffs to make their generous donation. While many have rightfully applauded them, others have criticized the decision. These people believe the funding should go directly to creating housing. But let\u2019s use Los Angeles Proposition HHH as an example.<\/p>\n

The bond measure created $1.2 billion dollars of funding. Yet in three-year\u2019s time, it has yet to produce one housing unit. Considering San Francisco\u2019s inflated housing market, $30 million dollars would not create a lot of housing either. It\u2019s safe to argue by investing in quality research, more homeless people will be helped off the streets and into housing.<\/p>\n

The Benioff\u2019s massive donation sends a clear message to other business leaders as well as the entire nation: We need high-quality, evidence-based research to influence community stakeholders.<\/p>\n

Why Research on Homelessness Is Critical<\/h2>\n

Homelessness is a systemic problem. Research is a critical component to ending homelessness because there are so many lingering questions yet to be answered. Margot Kushel MD, Director of the University of California at San Francisco\u2019s Department of Medicine\u2019s Center for Vulnerable Populations, recently took to Twitter to outline some key questions<\/a>. Kushel is the principal researcher that will work on the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative.<\/p>\n

As a Director at one of the world\u2019s leading public research institutions, Kushel is in a unique position to address homelessness. The Center for Vulnerable Populations is focused on solving the most critical public health challenges for the most vulnerable citizens. With a $30 million research donation, Kushel will be able to complete the research necessary to end homelessness not only in California\u2019s Bay Area, but around the world.<\/p>\n

According to Kushel, a lack of affordable housing is key to the rise of US homelessness. In the US, there are only 35 affordable housing units for every 100 extremely low-income families. In California, the situation is even worse. There are only 22 low-cost housing units available for every 100 of the neediest.<\/p>\n

Homelessness has been examined to various degrees. Research has been used to create policies such as the United States\u2019 federal approach to homelessness, a policy known as Housing First. Advocating for the creation of permanent supportive housing, Housing First does not have conditions such as sobriety. (Earlier approaches to managed housing programs required homeless people comply with conditions like sobriety.)<\/p>\n

San Francisco was an early adopter of the Housing First model. Despite this, its homeless population has swelled to the third largest<\/a> in the United States.<\/p>\n

For this reason, smart, well-designed research studies are essential.<\/p>\n

Housing First Can End Homelessness<\/h4>\n

Leading researchers such as Mary Cunningham, Senior Fellow and Vice President of Metropolitan Housing and Communities at the Urban Institute, believe Housing First will end homelessness. But it must be applied in a thoughtful, evidence-based way.<\/p>\n

Cunningham recently outlined key questions<\/a> left to answer about policies to end homelessness on Twitter:<\/p>\n