Curran House Wins Residential Architect Design Award

Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation
Winter 2006
Curran Design Wins
Prestigious Award!
Diep Do Steps Up as
Director of Housing
Development
Page 3
Prince Charles and Camilla
…in the Tenderloin?
Page 3
Bringing Health Care Home
Page 1
’s 25th
Join TNDC
Celebration
Anniversary
1)
(see page
TNDC resident Darwin Dias jokes before getting serious about his health.
2 0 1 E d dy S t r e e t
S a n F r a n c i s c o, CA 9 4 1 0 2
We take a bold position at TNDC. Housing
and health are inseparable. By providing our residents with a place to live, we’re
providing the basic building block for
their well-being.
•
San Francisco, CA 94102
•
Winter 2006
Housing is just the first step.
TNDC also provides free
supportive services, including social workers who are
on the front line for identifying and responding to the
health needs of residents.
Thanks to a $20,000 grant
from St. Joseph’s Health
Care Alliance last year, the
social workers were ready
for the job. They developed
a yearlong Healthy Practices
Program and collaborated
with over 30 community
and health agencies on 98
health-related events at
TNDC’s buildings.
The events were a big draw. Over 800
people engaged in at least one health session
in the year with many residents attending a
multiple of them. A reason for the success
is that health topics were chosen based on
relevancy to each tenant community. “The
Antonia Manor has a high proportion of
seniors,” says Social Worker Yumi Ogura.
“Among the organizations we invited are
the Health Insurance Counseling and
Advocacy Program. The seniors learned
vital information about the new Medicare Part D prescription drug plan.” Other
topics discussed were flu vaccinations,
blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, cancer,
depression, and substance abuse. Additionally, residents benefited from refreshments
like turkey sandwiches, vegetables, and fresh
fruit that modeled healthy eating.
Health Care con’t on page 5
Join Us!
Curran Design Wins Award!
BRIAN ROSE
NonProfit Org.
US Postage
PAID
San Francisco, CA
Permit No. 3938
201 Eddy Street
Bringing Health Care Home
Page 1
Residents Get Answers at Health Fair
•
Curran House — where design and function blend.
TNDC’s Curran House has won a Grand
Award at the national Residential Architect
Design Awards (RADA) competition. With
more than 920 design entries, the panel of
six judges, all of whom are accomplished
residential architects, made tough decisions.
Among entries for best design of an affordable housing development, Curran House,
designed by David Baker + Partners, stood
above the competition.
As winner of the distinguished RADA
award, Curran House will be featured in
the May 2006 issue of Residential Architect Magazine, which will be distributed
at the American Institute of Architects
National Convention.
Curran House con’t on page 6
www.tndc.org
1 Winter 2006
TNDC’s 25th
Anniversary Celebration
Building Homes and Hope
Co-Chairs Nancy Bechtle and
Ellen Magnin Newman
May 9th, 2006
6:00 - 9:00 PM
Yerba Buena Ballroom,
San Francisco Marriott
Contact Events Manager
Chuck Johnson at (415) 358-3937
or [email protected]
to sponsor or reserve seats.
TNDC Board of Directors
Christine Gouig
President
Tangerine Brigham
Vice President
Miye Goishi
Secretary
Eileen Gallagher
Treasurer
Ken Odell
Chief Legal Officer
Noreen Beiro
Ana Bolton-Arguello
John Burkitt
Charles Casey
Korin Crawford
Cort Gross
Sonja Lenz-Rashid
Connie Moy
Loren Sanborn
Jodi Schwartz
Tom Sebekos
Donna Lisa Stewart
Patricia Theophilos
April Wright
Donald S. Falk
Executive Director
Editor
Judy Wong
Contributors
Phil Murphy
Design & Production
Olive Design, San Francisco
Printing
SharperPrint
Distribution
Direct Mail Center
New Housing Development
Director Steps Up
The Far Reaches of Community
Dear Friends,
People involved with TNDC frequently use the word “community.” We’re a communitybased organization. We’re engaged in community development. We’re a Community Housing
Development Organization. Used loosely and widely, the word can mean a group of people
who live in a certain area, have common cultural or religious characteristics, common interests, or share a profession.
As we celebrate TNDC’s 25th anniversary this year, I think about the reach and impact
of the organization’s work over the years in terms of the communities we serve. While our
primary constituency is the people within the Tenderloin neighborhood, the reality is that
we’re accountable to many communities, including other residents, property owners, business owners, and their employees.
With each of these communities, TNDC enters into an unwritten pact. With our tenants,
we must be a good landlord and source of support. In return, our residents pay rent and live
peaceably. With employees, TNDC not only provides jobs but also comprises a network and
resource for professional development. With the greater Tenderloin community, TNDC’s
obligation is to create positive change, to make this neighborhood a better place to live. And
with the many governmental institutions that support it on behalf of taxpayers, TNDC must
meet its contractual obligations within the private-public partnership, be it to build and
operate affordable housing or provide programs and services to targeted populations.
But TNDC’s community extends further still. Out of a sense of social justice and civic improvement, the people of San Francisco and throughout the Bay Area support TNDC’s work, and
with these stakeholders, TNDC’s pact is simple: in return for financial support, TNDC will use
their investment wisely. That means not only operating an efficient organization, but also making
the greatest possible impact on people’s lives and on the Tenderloin neighborhood itself.
That’s the deal: through financial support from people and institutions, TNDC can improve
the quality of life for children and adults in the TL as well as
the physical environment of the Tenderloin. Of course,
these changes benefit all of San Francisco, and extend
to communities throughout the Bay Area. This mutual
dependency and benefit lies at the heart of “community,”
and if not for the good will and generosity of this wider
group, TNDC would not exist.
Thank you for your support of TNDC during
our first 25 years. You have not only touched
the lives of so many people living in the
Tenderloin, you have made a difference that
reaches far beyond.
Sincerely,
TNDC is thrilled to announce a new Director of Housing Development. A Senior
Project Manager at TNDC for seven years,
Diep Do succeeds Don Falk, who became
Executive Director last October.
Corporation as part of a national public
policy fellowship. Diep has a Masters Degree
in Urban Planning and a Bachelors Degree
in Urban Studies, with an Asian American
Studies minor, from UCLA.
Diep’s housing development experience
is significant. In her previous post, she
managed the acquisition, financing, design
development, and construction of five
affordable housing projects, including the
renovated Dalt Hotel and the newly built
Curran House. “Diep brings exceptional
intelligence, integrity and pride to all she
does,” says Don. “We’re very pleased that
she decided to accept such a daunting challenge as presented in this new role.”
A Personal Commitment
Prior to TNDC, Diep worked at Skid Row
Housing, an affordable housing organization in Los Angeles, and at the Culver City
Redevelopment Agency. She also researched
housing policy and legislation at RAND
Beyond Diep’s work history and credentials
is a personal and meaningful connection to
TNDC’s mission. When she was a child, she
immigrated to this country with her parents
and six siblings. “My parents struggled for
years to find affordable housing so we could
be together,” says Diep. Despite working
hard and saving all that they could, her
parents were never able to obtain housing
that was both adequate and affordable.
For Diep, housing is more than a physical
structure. “It’s a place for family and friends
to come together, a place to raise kids, and a
place to call home,” says Diep. Her parents’
Is That Prince Charles??
Yes, it was really England’s Prince Charles and new wife, Camilla,
the Duchess of Cornwall, in the TL last November.
Dropping by the San Francisco Bay Area on a four-day stint, the royal
couple wanted to learn about San Francisco’s efforts to end homelessness.
Amid eager spectators and a layer of security, Prince Charles and Camilla,
alongside Mayor Gavin Newsom, visited the Empress Hotel, a building in
the Tenderloin that provides supportive housing to homeless individuals.
The royal couple escorted by
Mayor Newsom at the Empress Hotel.
Donald S. Falk
Executive Director
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2 Winter 2006
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3 Winter 2006
struggle is the reason for Diep’s commitment. “It was the reason that I studied
urban planning,” she says.
Coming Full-Circle
Today, Diep oversees a team of five project
management staff who are managing eight
housing development projects totaling $150
million. In the next five years, she anticipates preserving or developing 1,000 more
affordable housing units.
Diep has come full-circle, from living
in cramped quarters with her family to
working to provide housing for low-income
people. But times have changed over the
years, with organizations like TNDC stepping in to help meet the need for affordable
housing. Luckily for us, Diep has stepped up
to lead our prolific and experienced housing
development team.
A Home — Just in Time
The Chestnut-Walkers could
have spent the holiday season
on the streets. Because San Francisco Police Officer Sue Lavin
connected the family to TNDC,
they didn’t have to. On the day
before Thanksgiving, Daniel
Chestnut and Jacqueline Walker,
along with their children, 4-year
old Kasey, 2-year old Dylan, and
5-month old Lea Marie, moved
into Curran House — TNDC’s
new 67-unit family housing
showcase in the Tenderloin.
“I’m glad we’re here.
We wanted a better
place to raise our
kids. We’re doing
this for them.”
— Jacqueline Walker
Coping with Homelessness
The family had been without adequate
housing for over two years. When Officer
Lavin found them, they were living in a
camper at a Bayview neighborhood intersection. The camper couldn’t be driven
and lacked running water and electricity.
The family did what they could to survive.
“We’d get water from friends,” says Jacqueline. “And use candles to see.” Space was
also cramped. Little Kasey slept on a lower
bunk with Kona, their 70-pound pit bull
and Labrador mix, while the rest of the
family slept in a small loft above her.
This arrangement was better than living on
the streets. Before saving the $300 needed
for the camper, the family lived for seven
months in a 1991 Ford Taurus. The couple’s
two children at the time slept in the back
seat while they slept in the front. “I think
back on those days and I can’t imagine how
we made it,” says Jacqueline. “We didn’t
have much money, even to buy food.”
Thankfully, the Chestnut-Walkers were
resilient. They got hot meals from churches
and charity food lines so they didn’t go to
sleep hungry at night.
Like many homeless individuals, the family
lost their foothold on stable housing due
to unforeseen circumstances. Daniel, the
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4 Winter 2006
Don Bleu’s Santas Deliver
sole wage earner, was laid off from his job.
He installed fireproof windows for a living,
which helped pay $300 per week for temporary housing at a hotel. With the layoff, it
became harder to make ends meet. Then,
their room was broken into. “We had a
DVD player, children’s video games, and
items that could be sold to pay the rent,
but they were gone,” says Daniel. Even after
gaining employment at a flooring company,
Daniel’s earnings were simply not enough to
move the family off the streets.
If anyone believes in Santa,
it has to be the children
from TNDC’s After-School
Program (TASP). Over the
holidays, they all received a
generous supply of gifts.
A Place for the Kids
Living at Curran House, the budget is still
tight. Daniel and Jacqueline pay $1,012
per month for rent — which could be over
$2,000 if it were market rate — but everything adds up, including the cost of groceries,
Daniel’s commute to work in Hayward, and
the electric, phone, and cable bills.
These days, however, the family has more
to celebrate. They shared the holidays
together and even had a turkey dinner courtesy of Officer Lavin. They’re also settling
into their new home — a fully furnished
1,100 square feet apartment that includes
three-bedrooms, one and a half baths, a
large living room, and a kitchen. Finally,
the family is resting easier. “I’m glad we’re
here,” says Jacqueline. “We wanted a better
place to raise our kids. We’re doing this
for them.”
The Chestnut-Walkers are fortunate.
“About 620 homeless families sought
homeless shelter last year,” says Rebecca
Rognes of Connecting Point, the city’s
central intake agency for homeless families.
Because of TNDC’s construction of new
affordable family housing at Curran House,
the Chestnut-Walkers, and other formerly
homeless and low-income families, can
move their lives in a new direction. They
have stable homes and increased odds for a
brighter future.
Star101.3’s Don Bleu shows off a “secret Santa”
gift to TASP Manager Laura Choe.
What seemed purely magical
was actually a carefully crafted
plan by the center’s staff to
ensure that ever yone was
included in the season of
giving. Star101.3’s Don Bleu
helped by recruiting “secret
Santas” on his morning radio
show. He played recordings
of TASP’s children reading
their personal letters to Santa.
Radio listeners could then buy whichever
items they wished for the kids.
Children’s Letters
Casey, a ten-year old TASP participant,
loves running. In her letter, she said, “I ran
a 3-mile race at Golden Gate Park. I am a
fast runner but I need new running shoes.”
When Don asked her whether she wins or
loses her races, Casey responded, “It’s not
like that. I run and it feels like I’m flying.”
An inspired Star101.3 listener got Casey
the shoes.
Ten-year old Gissela also shared her letter.
Being in a family of six people, three of
whom are her brothers, she asked for a
small television since they only have one
to share. She also wanted a place to study,
stating, “It’d be nice to have a desk to do
my homework because when I don’t come
to the program, I have to do homework
on the kitchen table.” Gissela’s letter also
touched many listeners.
Extension of Gratitude
The staff at TASP thanks Don Bleu,
Star101.3, and the secret Santas for having
made wishes come true. The center also
thanks its corporate sponsors: Macy’s West,
Barclays Global Investors, City Optics, the
Flood Building, and Mars Bar, as well as
the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals and
the private individuals for their phenomenal support throughout the past year. This
collective effort has made all the difference
to the kids.
Health Care con’t from page 1
UCSF Students Get Involved
The culmination of the Healthy Practices
Program was a health fair at the Alexander
Residence. On January 19th, 50 students
from UCSF’s School of Pharmacy shared
information and provided health screenings. Over 100 TNDC residents — most
of whom were seniors — attended. “It’s
good to know if I’m sick or not,” joked 71year old Corazon Barroa, who wanted a
cholesterol test. “My family has a history of
hypertension and heart disease.”
This type of monitoring is important.
Oftentimes, residents delay seeking the
health services they need. “Even people with
health care coverage don’t often take advantage of it,” says pharmacy student Wendy
Ha. The reason may be an unfamiliarity
with health service providers that results in
an inability to secure primary health care or
early diagnostic tests.
Another obstacle to residents receiving health
care is lack of transportation. Through the
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5 Winter 2006
St. Joseph’s grant, social workers distributed
140 taxi vouchers, allowing residents to get
to basic medical appointments.
Because of the ongoing need, TNDC is
continuing the Healthy Practices Program
this year. Whether through utilizing our
affordable housing or supportive services,
residents know that they — and their wellbeing — are important.
Donor Spotlight:
Young Professionals Do Good
Just before the holidays, JiveSF — a young
professionals organization founded in 2004
to encourage volunteerism, networking, and
self-enrichment — raised $1,500 for TNDC
by hosting a live auction fundraiser at Roe
Restaurant in San Francisco. It was inspired by our Celebrity
Pool Toss event, where people bid to toss local celebrities, socialites, or CEOs into a heated
pool. The celebrities this day were the dozen brave people who offered their services for
high bidding. Among items offered were home-cooked dinners, a picnic lunch, chauffeuring about town, a swing dance lesson, a golf lesson, a squash lesson, and a tour of the SF
Museum of Modern Art. About 150 attendees came ready to throw down cash for a good
cause. Who says charitable giving can’t be fun too? To learn more about JiveSF, visit them
at www.jivesf.com.
Jivees having a blast at the live auction
hosted by JiveSF for TNDC.
EXPERIENCE CURRAN HOUSE
Rare Family Housing
BRIAN ROSE
Curran House is a rare development opportunity for mixed-use, multifamily housing in
the Tenderloin, a neighborhood comprised
primarily of single room occupancy and
studio units. It is only the second new family
housing development built in the Tenderloin over the past 10 years. The nine-story
building has 14 studios, 15 one-bedroom,
14 two-bedroom, and 24 three-bedroom
apartments, and is home to over 80 children
and their low-income families.
She also admires TNDC’s staff. “People who
have their skills in housing development
could be making a lot more elsewhere.”
Lona first heard of TNDC from San Francisco attorney Charlotte Siggins, whose
daughter, Elizabeth, was working with the
Bay Area Women’s and Children’s Center in
the Tenderloin District. “Charlotte recruited
me to TNDC’s board,” she said. One of her
duties was to survey TNDC’s residents. “We
asked them what more we should be doing.
They had minor complaints, but mostly
were very pleased to have a home.”
She likes the way TNDC has stuck to its
mission of serving the poor. “We don’t want
to gentrify the neighborhood,” she said.
“TNDC provides a gateway neighborhood
to help people on the way up or down.
Our job is to give them a place that’s clean
and safe.”
BRIAN ROSE
Curran House con’t from page 1
Lona Jupiter’s Bequest — Simple & Tax-Smart
Grand Opening Celebration
March 21st, 2006
12:00 - 1:30 PM
145 Taylor Street, Curran House
Join us and guest speaker
Mayor Gavin Newsom
Because most residents can’t afford a car and
the site is near public transit, there is no
need for on-site automobile parking space.
Instead, space was conserved to create additional housing units, common areas, and
supportive service and office spaces. Two
retail spaces also serve the community and
create interaction with pedestrians at the
street level.
Feng Shui Compliant
Beyond housing and retail space, the building is a temporary refuge. Architect David
Baker noted that green spaces are lacking
in the city and created a “decompression”
Family units at Curran House are open
and spacious.
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6 Winter 2006
Lona (right) shows her support at a TNDC fundraiser with Elizabeth Siggins and Norm Berryessa.
The roof garden is an oasis with astounding views.
garden through which residents and visitors enter the building. From the garden,
tenants and visitors see through the spacious
building lobby to a richly landscaped, meditative courtyard in the rear. The building’s
roof garden offers citrus trees, community
vegetable planters, and views of the city.
All of these unique characteristics make
Curran House special. It is not only mixeduse, family housing in the Tenderloin, it’s
an oasis from the hard-surfaced urban
environment outside.
Lona Jupiter of San Francisco included
TNDC in her estate plan in a way as
straightforward as she is. She named TNDC
a partial beneficiary of her 401(k) retirement plan. “All I had to do was ask for a
new beneficiary designation form,” she said.
“I got TNDC’s tax identification number,
filled out the form, and sent it to the plan
manager. It took less than an hour.” Her
husband, Harry, also signed the form before
a notary, giving his spousal consent.
Lona joined TNDC’s Board of Directors in
the early 1990s. A former Wells Fargo Foundation board member and public relations
professional, she joined TNDC’s development committee to help raise private
dollars. It wasn’t until last year, though, that
she found out “there were creative ways to
contribute besides writing a check.” As a
member of TNDC’s newly formed Planned
Giving Committee, she learned of the
simplicity and tax benefits of retirement
plan designations to charity. She found the
paperwork easy, and directing tax-vulnerable funds to TNDC satisfying. Retirement
funds, notoriously vulnerable to estate and
income tax when passed to heirs, go to
TNDC tax-free.
Believing in TNDC
Lona chose TNDC because she believes in
its work and permanency. “I have a lot of
faith in TNDC’s management, including
the new management,” she said. “The fact
that the City of San Francisco works in partnership with TNDC gives me the feeling of
permanence and credibility.”
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7 Winter 2006
An Inspiration to Others
Lona’s late husband of 39 years, San Francisco columnist Harry Jupiter, had written a
profile of TNDC’s former Executive Director, Brother Kelly Cullen, years ago. The
column inspired a TNDC bequest. Now,
Lona also wants to inspire bequests, but
adds some practical qualifications. “Choose
an organization you know, trust, and have
worked with,” she said.
TNDC is pleased to enroll Lona Jupiter
as a member of its Homes and Hope Fund
which honors those who have remembered
TNDC in their estate plan. For information
on the Homes and Hope Fund, call Director of Fund Development Ken Sommer at
(415) 358-3946.