After the Fire: Rebuilding Franciscan Towers

It is hard to believe it has been more than three months since the fire on April 5, 2011 seriously damaged the Franciscan Towers, home to 124 people, as well as TNDC's corporate office and our Tenderloin After-School Program (TASP). The cause has still not been determined.

Fortunately there were only minor injuries. Unfortunately, 124 low-income people were evacuated from their homes without warning. Many residents rushed out with nothing more than the clothes on their back, and they have had severely limited access to their units and belongings since. Many residents of the Franciscan Towers were living their financial lives from week-to-week. Everything they owned fit into their SRO unit, and now much or all of it is gone. For some, this was their first real home after years of homelessness. For these residents, the prospect of facing homelessness again is devastating.

As an organization, we are slowly putting the pieces back together. TASP has moved back in to its regular location, and our smoke damaged corporate offices have been repaired. MORE

TNDC Builds a "Tenderloin People's Garden" to Bring Fresh Produce to the Neighborhood

The Tenderloin neighborhood, home to more than 30,000 people living within 40 city blocks, has no grocery store and very limited sources for residents to buy affordable fresh produce. "This is a big public health challenge for this community," said Steve Woo, TNDC Community Organizer. One of the Community Organizing Department's top priorities has been to generate new ways to bring healthy affordable food to this neighborhood. Beginning last spring, the Department of Real Estate has allowed TNDC to use a plot of land at McAllister and Larkin Streets to create a Tenderloin People's Garden. This community garden has enabled Tenderloin residents to grow their own food and give it away for free for the benefit of their community. MORE