Public-Private Partnership Focuses on Improved Targeting, Coordination,
and Service to Protect Families from Long-Term Homelessness
SAN FRANCISCO (March 4, 2025) – Today, Tipping Point Community, a leading nonprofit dedicated to fighting poverty in the Bay Area, and the City and County of San Francisco announced the launch of the Family Homelessness Prevention Pilot, an 18-month effort aimed at providing more accessible and coordinated support to families on the brink of homelessness. Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) is proud to be one of the five community-based organizations selected to participate in this critical effort.
“This investment assists families in crisis today while we develop and scale a model to support families in need for decades to come,” said Mayor Daniel Lurie. “Tipping Point’s investment, along with their commitment to rigorously measure the pilot’s impact, will help us ultimately reach more families in need and prevent homelessness before it begins. Creating lasting change in San Francisco requires all hands on deck, and I’m proud to launch this critical public-private partnership with Tipping Point.”
With a private investment of $11 million from Tipping Point, the pilot is designed to address the growing crisis of family homelessness in San Francisco, where the 2024 point-in-time count revealed a 94% increase in families experiencing homelessness. By bringing together organizations with deep ties to the community—including MEDA, Compass Family Services, APA Family Support Services, Booker T. Community Service Center, and Mission Neighborhood Centers—the pilot aims to create a more seamless experience for families seeking assistance, ensuring they receive not just rental aid, but also the wraparound services they need to achieve long-term stability.
“Preventing families from falling into homelessness is not only a moral imperative, it’s absolutely critical to achieving better outcomes for kids and the entire community,” said Sam Cobbs, CEO of Tipping Point Community. “This effort will improve coordination across providers and deliver a more seamless experience for San Francisco’s families. Once we demonstrate success, we’re excited to partner with Mayor Daniel Lurie to scale this solution and reach even more families.”
As a key partner in the pilot, MEDA will leverage its expertise in economic empowerment to connect families with critical financial coaching, workforce development programs, and housing stability resources. With decades of experience supporting families and individuals, MEDA understands the systemic challenges families face and will work alongside partner organizations to ensure culturally responsive solutions that address the root causes of housing instability.
“For too many families in San Francisco, the risk of homelessness is just one missed paycheck or unexpected expense away,” said Luis Granados, MEDA’s Chief Executive Officer. “We know that financial assistance alone is not enough. Families need access to employment support, legal services, childcare, and other essential resources to stay housed. This pilot allows us to strengthen our efforts to provide these services in a more coordinated and effective way.”
Key features of the pilot include:
- Holistic and Targeted Support: The program will identify families most at risk of homelessness and provide customized services, including financial aid and access to employment support, legal assistance, and vital safety net resources.
- Strong Collaboration Among Partners: The pilot bridges the gap between homelessness service providers and community-based organizations that provide other essential services (such as employment, childcare, and benefits support) but have not historically been focused on homelessness programs, creating a more accessible network for families. The “no wrong door” approach ensures seamless access to support, with Compass Family Services providing leadership and coordination across the network.
- Evaluation for Scalability: A rigorous evaluation will measure the program’s impact, with the aim of having the City of San Francisco adopt the model across its homelessness response system if successful.
Tipping Point’s investment will fund direct financial assistance for 1,500 families, costs for partners to create coordinated systems, and a database specifically focused on prevention efforts, among other operational resources. The 18-month program’s planning phase began in January 2025 with the first 3 months dedicated to planning with the five implementation partners as well as the City, knowing that coordination will be crucial to the success of this program.
Implementation will run from April 2025 to June 2026, with evaluation results expected in fall 2027. If successful, the City of San Francisco will incorporate solutions into its efforts to combat homelessness moving forward.
With more than 300 families currently on the city’s shelter waiting list, prevention is more critical than ever. Through this collaborative effort, MEDA and its partners are committed to breaking the cycle of family homelessness and ensuring that San Francisco remains a place where all families can thrive.
About Tipping Point Community
Tipping Point finds, funds, and strengthens the most promising poverty-fighting solutions so one day everyone in the Bay Area can prosper. Since 2005, the organization has invested over $440 million in community interventions, policy change, and new ideas. Last year, Tipping Point’s grantees provided life-changing services in housing, early childhood, education, and employment to over 90,000 of our neighbors across the Bay Area. Visit www.tippingpoint.org to learn more.
About MEDA
MEDA is a nonprofit started in 1973. Rooted in San Francisco’s Mission District, MEDA is advancing a national equity movement by building prosperity, community ownership and civic power. We envision generations of families choosing where to call home, thriving economically, succeeding in learning opportunities, and leading policy and social change toward a more prosperous society.
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