Our Services

feature-Referall

Social Work Services

TNDC employs Social Workers who work in coordination with our Property Management staff to provide comprehensive support services that help tenants stabilize their lives and maintain their homes. Social Workers are committed to ensuring that services are culturally and linguistically appropriate and strive to demonstrate a respect and understanding of our tenant’s cultural identity, beliefs, and values. Some of the ways in which we demonstrate this is by; ensuring tenants have access to services in the language that they are most comfortable communicating in, referring and linking tenants to services in the community that are a good fit for them in terms of their cultural identity and linguistic needs, and demonstrating respect for cultural practices while in someone’s home. Support services are free, confidential, and voluntary.

 

Meeting Tenants Where They’re At

Because TNDC services are voluntary, TNDC social workers work to employ creative and innovative outreach to all tenants on a regular basis to ensure all tenants who need help receive it.  When a tenant chooses to partner with a TNDC social worker, the social worker assesses their needs, helps them develop an individualized service plan and provides ongoing case management and counseling services.

 

Helping Tenants Keep Their Homes

True to our mission, our tenants are among the poorest in San Francisco.  Many have a history of homelessness before coming to TNDC.  Helping new TNDC tenants break that cycle and find stability is a priority for social workers.  By working with our Property Management department, TNDC social workers assist tenants in stabilizing and maintaining their housing.  Social workers do this by providing housing retention and eviction prevention services, linking tenants to medical, mental health and substance use services, and assisting tenants to increase their income by accessing public benefits, and linking them to employment and training programs in the community.

 

Connecting TNDC Tenants to Vital Resources

Social workers also provide advocacy for tenants with local agencies and educate about resources and help connect them.  These include, but are not limited to:

  • Linking families and children to school and after-school programs, including TNDC’s Tenderloin After-School Program (TASP)
  • Provision of supportive counseling to individuals and families
  • Advocacy for tenants
  • Linking tenants to Food Stamps, CalWorks, WIC and Healthy Families
  • Crisis Intervention and linkages to Mobile Crisis, Adult Protective Services, Comprehensive Child Crisis and Child Protective Services
  • Organization and facilitation of culturally appropriate community events and activities including on-site informational and educational sessions and Intergenerational Activities where appropriate.

 

Helping Seniors Age in Place

At TNDC, there are many seniors struggling to survive on very little income—from $500 to $900 per month.  Many of them are also isolated with few family or friends. But through the work of our social workers and other TNDC staff, we make “aging in place” a reality for many who would otherwise be subject to public facilities that are costly to taxpayers and demoralizing to residents.

TNDC helps seniors achieve independent living through a combination of on-site staff assistance and linkages to available community services. Some resources that our seniors benefit from are:

  • On-site social activities organized by TNDC Social Workers and Activities Coordinators
  • Home delivered meals from such organizations as Meals on Wheels, Meals That Heal, and Project Open Hand
  • In Home Support Services for cooking, cleaning, shopping and personal services
  • Assistance to connect with agencies to help manage finances
  • Visits from medical providers and home health nurses
  • Care for the terminally ill through in home hospice programs
  • Access to senior multi-service agencies for; daily social activities, education and training, volunteer opportunities, computer classes, healthy and nutritious meals, exercise classes, bingo games, outings and other community resources
  • On-site educational and informational workshops organized by TNDC Social Workers and facilitated by our partners in the community

For every senior we assist, there are many more people outside our reach who require the same kind of assistance. That’s why TNDC is focused on providing more housing and more services to people in need—including San Francisco’s lowest-income seniors.

 

Our Approach

Since 1996, TNDC Social Workers have been providing free, voluntary, on-site, culturally relevant, and confidential services to individuals, families and children.  Since inception, the goals of TNDC’s Support Service program have included;

  • To provide tenants with support services that assist in the stabilization and maintenance of housing.
  • To provide tenants with ongoing individualized support services that promotes the development and growth of their self-esteem, independence and self-sufficiency.
  • To assist tenants to retain their housing by providing housing retention and eviction prevention support services.
  • To promote the growth and development of safe and supportive communities through the organization and facilitation of Community Events, Activities and Informational Workshops.

We believe that equal access to resources and services is a cornerstone to Social Justice and we are committed to delivering high quality services to all of our tenants.

TNDC Social Workers use an integrated model of services that includes a close working partnership with Property Management.  Voluntary services are client based; client driven and services are provided using a Harm Reduction philosophy. By employing the principles of Harm Reduction, services are provided to “meet tenants where they are” demonstrating respect for choice, self-determination and cultural identity.

Each Social Worker possesses a strong knowledge of and sensitivity to issues related to homelessness, has demonstrated the capacity to work with a culturally diverse, low-income population and has the ability to maintain strong boundaries and respect for confidentiality.

The Social Work Unit also has a close working relationship with TNDC’s Tenderloin After-School Program (TASP) to provide wrap around services to many of our families and to organize Intergenerational Events with our seniors.

 

Ensuring Quality Services

Quality improvement and quality assurance is a priority for TNDC.    It is important to us that programs and services remain effective.  To ensure quality programs, TNDC employs a Quality Assurance Manager that works with our Social Worker Unit Manager and other Tenant Services staff.   The Social Work Unit Manager and the Tenant Services Q.A. Manager work closely to make certain that Q.A. processes are implemented and reflected in the program’s manual and in daily operations.  On an annual basis, tenants are invited to offer feedback in our annual Customer Satisfaction Survey, as well as through other informal mechanisms.