Fighting homelessness: Richmond leads way with new conference
 
Showing off its "green waterfront" and diverse talents, host city Richmond welcomes you to a new, one-day conference on homelessness May 10.
 
"Bridges Out of Homelessness: Vocations, Health and Housing" takes place at the award-winning Craneway Pavilion on Richmond Inner Harbor looking out on San Francisco Bay.
 
National and local experts present best practice programs and cost-effective new approaches, targeting housing, health care, education, and employment to increase the economic independence of the homeless. 

Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin and Vice-Mayor Jeff Ritterman, MD, as well as Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia, encourage you to come and think new thoughts about homelessness. Programs and practice from this conference in Richmond -- which has one of the Bay Area's highest concentrations of homeless people -- can work for communities throughout the Bay Area.

On May 10, morning light on the bay will herald a guitar serenade courtesy of Richmond Main Street Initiative, which accompanies the pre-conference breakfast sponsored by conference organizer Saffron Strand, Inc. Gentle, live, loving music with breakfast will help open minds to the unlimited possibilities of Richmond as a font of learning and source of new solutions. 

Opening the conference, Dr. Ritterman will focus on the challenge: How to combine local talent with new expertise to yield innovative, cost-effective outcomes for health, housing, and employment of the homeless. County Supervisor Gioia will provide perspective: Increased homelessness, limited public and private funding, and the urgent need to get homeless adults back to work.
 
National and local experts then will cover budget-conscious programs that can help you to optimize health care, temporary and transitional housing, and education, training, and workforce development opportunities for homeless populations.
 
At lunch, Mayor McLaughlin will address your potential in the practice of overcoming homelessness. Reverend Phil Lawson of the East Bay Housing Organizations will inspire you with insight about the struggle for housing justice. To delight your ear and thrill your spirit, the Ben-Oni Orchestra of Richmond's Grace Lutheran Church will perform during lunch, conducted by Dr. Curtis Shaw. 

 Workshops for every interest

 
The conference includes 16 afternoon workshops, detailing solutions to a wide range of employment, education, health care, and housing challenges. Just 3 examples:
 

● "Developing Affordable Housing in the Bay Area" with Peggy Jen (Bay Area LISC, San Francisco). Participants in this workshop receive intensive training for developing affordable housing for homeless and low-income people, covering feasibility analyses, securing funding, and managing budgets.
 
● "Human Trafficking 101: Local Homeless and Runaways at Risk" with Hanna Hamilton (Community Violence Solutions, San Pablo). Serious criminal activity victimizing the homeless takes place in the Bay Area, including Contra Costa where human traffickers exploit homeless adults and children, particularly targeting runaway youth.
 
● “Transformative Life Skills: Restoring Empathy and Emotional Effectiveness” with Bidyut Bose, PhD (Niroga Institute, Berkeley). Yoga techniques can help heal the emotional damage suffered by those who work with the homeless, restoring their capacity to care, and increasing the effectiveness of their work.

Scholarships, continuing education, networking, exhibits
 
If you serve the homeless or work on homeless issues, in a professional or volunteer capacity, please note:
 
● Sponsors offer scholarships to executives and staff of non-profit organizations to cover the full cost of conference registration
 
● Continuing education credits (CEUs or CMEs) are available to eligible conference registrants
 
● Conference offers networking opportunities and potential new collaborative relationships with other professionals and organizations throughout the Bay Area
 

● Exhibits showcase Bay Area providers of services, including non-profit organizations, which may be eligible for free exhibit space and registration

 
For details, contact conference organizer, Saffron Strand at 510.778.9492
 
Jesse Curtis Award

Jesse Curtis died in her 90s, homeless, without family by her side. Yet during her life, she helped other homeless people and befriended many. Her goodness lives on in the hearts of many in Richmond.
 
An anonymous sponsor of the conference has established the Jesse Curtis Essay prize with a cash award of $250 for an essay of 500 words or more about creative and effective personal bridges out of homelessness. For more information, contact Saffron Strand.

Conference organizer: Saffron Strand 

Saffron Strand, Inc. is a Richmond-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which builds the job skills and increases the employment of homeless adults in Richmond and other West Contra Costa communities. Saffron Strand’s mission includes education and training on homeless issues with the goal of increasing the income and economic self-sufficiency of homeless persons and reducing unemployment, poverty, and public expenditures for emergency, law enforcement, and medical services related to homelessness.
 
For information about the conference “Bridges Out of Homelessness,” visit www.SaffronStrand.org or contact:
 
● Amanda Pruitt, tel. 510.778.9492, e-mail amanda@saffronstrand.org
● Yvonne Nair, tel. 510.275.9594, e-mail yvonne@saffronstrand.org