Episcopal Community Services of San Francisco Receives Philip Morris Grant; Funds To Provide Critical Job Training Assistance to Area Homeless Striving for Self-Sufficiency

Business Wire, Dec 19, 2000

Business/News Editors

NOTE TO MEDIA: Photo is available in a Smart News Release(TM) on

Business Wire's Home Page at www.businesswire.com

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 19, 2000

Episcopal Community Services of San Francisco (ECS) has received funding to continue critical job training assistance for area homeless adults, many of whom are living with disabilities but striving to gain self-sufficiency, officials announced today.

The $50,000 grant from Philip Morris Companies will help ECS provide homeless adults with classroom instruction and on-the-job training in preparation for employment in the institutional food service industry, which has experienced severe shortages of trained workers in recent years. With the Philip Morris grant, ECS's trainees will prepare more than 166,000 meals that will be provided to other area homeless.

Through its "Conquering Homelessness through Employment in Food Service" (C.H.E.F.S.) program, ECS offers year-long services, including a 12-week paid internship, that are designed to help homeless individuals succeed in culinary positions in such settings as hospitals, retirement homes and colleges. The new funding will pay a portion of the salary for a job placement counselor and internship stipends.

"With the third largest homeless population in the U.S., San Francisco relies on ECS and others like us to provide many vital services to homeless individuals, most of whom are suffering from mental illness, chemical and substance dependency, HIV and AIDS," said Barbara Solomon, ECS executive director. "To meet these ever increasing needs, it is crucial that we continue to receive assistance from others, including the corporate community."

Founded nearly 20 years ago in response to the increasing numbers of homeless in San Francisco, ECS began service with 10 cots in the basement of Grace Cathedral. Today, it offers nine distinct programs at six locations in the city and serves 6,000 people a year.

ECS is one of 16 community organizations nationwide that has received the Philip Morris grants this year. Since 1997, ECS has received three grants from Philip Morris totaling $120,000.

"For more than 40 years, Philip Morris has supported community organizations that serve those who are most vulnerable, such as the elderly, disabled and homeless, through hunger relief efforts," said Ellen Merlo, senior vice president of corporate affairs for Philip Morris USA. "Across the family of Philip Morris companies, we are working to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those who have fallen on hard times and are seeking a return to independent living."

Upon graduation, C.H.E.F.S. trainees are placed in full and part-time jobs that pay up to $17.50 per hour.

However, the program means more than a job and paycheck for its participants, as Solomon noted. Internship stipends and salaries are a crucial component in enabling C.H.E.F.S. participants to move off the streets or out of homeless shelters into permanent housing arrangements. In one recent case, a program participant used his internship stipend to secure an apartment lease, which enabled him to reunite with his two daughters.

This year, 95% of graduates achieved greater self-determination, meaning they:

-- Gained further employment experience;

-- Obtained or remained in permanent housing;

-- Entered into individualized treatment or counseling programs,

such as substance abuse or mental health treatment, a

transitional living program, or supportive housing; and,

-- Reunited with their families.

"C.H.E.F.S. graduates have experienced dramatic improvements in their lives as shown by their exceptional employment records, housing situations and the high degrees of self-sufficiency achieved," Solomon added. "Since the program was created in 1997, we have seen a significant rise in positive outcomes among our participants."

             EPISCOPAL COMMUNITY SERVICES OF SAN FRANCISCO
                        PHILIP MORRIS COMPANIES

            Sharing the Commitment. Building the Solution.

Episcopal Community Services of San Francisco

Episcopal Community Services of San Francisco (ECS) is dedicated to helping homeless and very low-income people move with dignity toward self-sufficiency by providing compassionate, individualized services and access to comprehensive resources.

ECS's "Conquering Homelessness through Employment in Food Services" (C.H.E.F.S.) program, which was launched in September 1997, provides homeless and disabled adults with the vocational skills that lead them to jobs in the growing institutional food service industry. The year-long services include training, placement in a paid internship, and job retention counseling for three classes of 18 to 20 participants per year. To date, C.H.E.F.S. has graduated 79 individuals, 70% of whom have found full or part-time employment at jobs paying more than the minimum wage.

In addition to C.H.E.F.S., ECS also operates:

-- Two homeless shelters - The Sanctuary and the Multi-Service

Center/North

-- The Skills Center for Adult Education, Training and Employment