Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
San Francisco Billionaire Gives $30M to Study Homelessness
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
May 1, 2019

Share

SAN FRANCISCO — A San Francisco billionaire is donating $30 million to the University of California, San Francisco, to research root causes of homelessness and potential solutions.

“We want to be a rapid response team to really help the public. This is democratizing data; this is meant to get the data out there.” — Dr. Margot Kushel

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, a city native, has embraced homelessness as a philanthropic cause, pumping millions into a 2018 city measure to tax wealthy companies to pay for homeless services.

The five-year initiative funded by Benioff will conduct academic research, provide testimony and fact sheets, and train people who have been homeless as expert speakers. The UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative will be part of the UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations, led by Dr. Margot Kushel.

Some San Francisco residents are frustrated with technology companies like Salesforce, a cloud-based software business, saying they contribute to inequality with high-paying jobs that drive up housing prices.

More Than 4,000 People Sleep on the Streets Every Night in the City

More than 4,000 people sleep on the streets every night in the city, where the median price of a two-bedroom home is $1.3 million. A family of four earning $117,400 a year is considered low income in San Francisco.

Benioff approached the university because he wants officials spending tax money to make decisions with the best data available, Kushel said. The plan is for researchers analyze the data and provide neutral, trusted analysis.

The initiative will have the ability to help a city, for example, decide whether and how to implement an alcohol management program, study the results of that program and then broadly share the information.

“We want to be a rapid response team to really help the public,” Kushel said. “This is democratizing data; this is meant to get the data out there.”

DON'T MISS

Tonight’s Biden Fundraiser With Obama and Clinton Already Nets a Record $25 Million

DON'T MISS

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, Democrats’ VP Pick in 2000, Dead at 82

DON'T MISS

Trump Criticizes Judge and His Daughter After Gag Order in Hush-Money Case

DON'T MISS

CA Insurance Market ‘in Chaos,’ Says Former Insurance Commissioner. Can Lara Fix It?

DON'T MISS

Police Had About 90 Seconds to Stop Traffic Before Baltimore Bridge Fell. 6 Workers Are Feared Dead

DON'T MISS

NBC Has Cut Ties With Former RNC Head Ronna McDaniel After Employee Objections, Some on the Air

DON'T MISS

Chinese Leader Xi Issues a Positive Message to US Business Leaders as Ties Improve

DON'T MISS

You Might Spot a Mountain Lion in California, But Attacks Like the One That Killed a Man Are Rare

DON'T MISS

Cargo Ship Lost Power, Issued Mayday Before Hitting Baltimore’s Bridge

DON'T MISS

Trump’s Social Media Company Soars Nearly 50% in Its First Day of Trading on Nasdaq

No data was found

Ukrainian Navy Says a Third of Russian Warships in the Black Sea Have Been Destroyed or Disabled

13 hours ago

Wired Wednesday: How Going to Work for Trump Turned Devin Nunes Into a Millionaire

17 hours ago

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, Democrats’ VP Pick in 2000, Dead at 82

18 hours ago

Trump Criticizes Judge and His Daughter After Gag Order in Hush-Money Case

18 hours ago

CA Insurance Market ‘in Chaos,’ Says Former Insurance Commissioner. Can Lara Fix It?

19 hours ago

Stock Market Today: S&P 500 Sets a Record After Wall Streets Breaks Out of Its Lull

19 hours ago

House Speaker Mike Johnson Headed to Fresno on April 4

19 hours ago

Bredefeld, Smittcamp Debate the Salary of Valley Children’s CEO

20 hours ago

CA’s Liberal Government Has a Long History of Caving to Special Interests

20 hours ago

Corrupt Process? Bullard, Edison Parents Blast Handling of Superintendent Search

20 hours ago

Biden Administration to Lend $1.5B to Restart Michigan Nuclear Power Plant, a First in the US

The federal government will provide a $1.5 billion loan to restart a nuclear power plant in southwestern Michigan, officials announced Wedne...

41 mins ago

41 mins ago

Biden Administration to Lend $1.5B to Restart Michigan Nuclear Power Plant, a First in the US

56 mins ago

Tonight’s Biden Fundraiser With Obama and Clinton Already Nets a Record $25 Million

Animals /
5 hours ago

Supermom Carmi Is Ready to Be Embraced by Her Forever Family

13 hours ago

Ukrainian Navy Says a Third of Russian Warships in the Black Sea Have Been Destroyed or Disabled

Composite image of President Trump and Devin Nunes
17 hours ago

Wired Wednesday: How Going to Work for Trump Turned Devin Nunes Into a Millionaire

18 hours ago

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, Democrats’ VP Pick in 2000, Dead at 82

18 hours ago

Trump Criticizes Judge and His Daughter After Gag Order in Hush-Money Case

19 hours ago

CA Insurance Market ‘in Chaos,’ Says Former Insurance Commissioner. Can Lara Fix It?

MENU

CONNECT WITH US

Search

Send this to a friend