Dear Friends:

It’s the beginning of summer, and the mid-point of 2008, and I’m writing to you and TNDC’s other key stakeholders to let you know some recent developments at TNDC.

A Rolling Plan Gathers No Dust
We completed our 2008-2012 Strategic Plan, and now our challenge is to execute the strategies and achieve the goals it envisions.  The Strategic Plan is a living, breathing working document, our touchstone as we go about our business.  Our year-long planning process generated enthusiasm at all levels of the organization for strategic and long-term thinking, and we’re determined to keep up the momentum, to use objective measures to gauge our progress, and to keep strategizing.  Find a copy at www.tndc.org/home/StrategicPlan2008.pdf.

Building Homes And Hope
Developing an affordable housing project takes roughly five years (if the process goes smoothly), and during most of that time period, the focus is on planning the construction and securing financing.  During this period, the only tangible evidence of all those hours of work are file drawers full of paper or, in our quest to continue to green up TNDC, hard drives full of megabytes.  But right now, as we move 10 huge projects through our development pipeline, those reams of paper are morphing into homes. We will soon complete 110 homes for seniors at the corner of Polk and Geary, with Citizens Housing Corporation. With Glide Economic Development Corporation, we just began construction at 149 Mason, where 56 formerly homeless individuals will one day live.  And this fall, we and Community Housing Partnership will break ground at 850 Broderick, which 47 formerly homeless seniors will one day call home.  THIS is the answer to San Francisco’s housing and homelessness crises: building homes.

Celebrating 15 Years of Social Services
TNDC has long been an organization that focuses on more than just housing.  Since we helped pioneer service-enriched housing in the early 1990’s, we have offered on-site services to our tenants and operated our Tenderloin After-School Program, a hub of activity for more than 50 kids and teens daily. 

Over these 15 years, we’ve developed a flourishing social work team, now numbering 17 full-time professionals.  And we take great pride in having created a robust network of strategic partnerships with other community-based organizations, including for example the San Francisco Food Bank, with whom we delivered a half-million pounds of food to TNDC tenants last year. In another area, it’s astounding to think about the remarkable growth of TASP and the annual College Tour program (which has visited 38 college campuses in 10 years). In fact, 14 Tenderloin young people were in Boston last week, exploring their options and thinking about their futures.

With a special focus on our service programs and staff, we celebrated our 27th anniversary with nearly 600 of our best friends at our Annual Dinner in May.  We honored Midge Wilson, long-time activist for Tenderloin children and youth, and heard the inspiring story of Sharon Bonnett and Aisha Robinson, a TNDC employee and her daughter.  You can see the full video from our homepage at www.tndc.org.

Organizing the People of the Tenderloin
Over the last few months, we’ve focused our efforts on registering TNDC tenants to vote and getting them to the polls.  And this fall, we’ll lead a “TL Votes” Block Party.  Our nascent Community Organizing department has been active and effective on many other fronts as well: working with other community activists to reduce noise at a local nightclub, successfully lobbying to keep a full-service post office open in the heart of the Tenderloin, and helping to establish the “Safe Haven” program, a neighborhood-wide effort to enhance everyday, street-level safety for children, seniors and people with disabilities – those who are most often at risk of crime.

This and That
Here’s just a small taste of what else is new at TNDC:

• We continue our struggle to site a full-service grocery store at the corner of Eddy and Taylor, a key site we acquired in 2007. Details are enclosed.
• With our partner Citizens Housing Corporation, we’re on the road to develop a significant new family housing project at 5th and Howard Streets.
• With Rebuilding Together and 100 volunteers, we repainted the Ritz Hotel.
• We were honored by Bank of America with its prestigious Neighborhood Excellence Initiative award.

New Blood
Some marvelous people have joined TNDC’s Board of Directors in 2008: Samia Rashed, CFO of Farallon Capital Management’s Real Estate Group; Rob Rich, Senior Construction Manager with AF Evans Development; Philip Nguyen, Executive Director of Southeast Asian Community Center; and long-time TNDC tenants Dina Hilliard and Mike Williams.  Now numbering 25, TNDC is governed by a diverse Board of dedicated and thoughtful individuals who share a commitment to social justice and play a key role in overseeing the entire organization. 

Save Paper, The Environment and Our Resources
If you’re willing to give us your email address and permission, please write me at dfalk@tndc.org to receive regular electronic communications in lieu of paper mailings.

TNDC thrives because people like you actively support our work in the Tenderloin.  Thank you for being part of TNDC’s community.

Warm regards,

Donald S. Falk
Executive Director