{"id":21619,"date":"2018-05-22T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-05-22T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?post_type=sf_press_release&p=21619"},"modified":"2020-09-18T00:36:32","modified_gmt":"2020-09-18T00:36:32","slug":"salesforce-celebrates-grand-opening-of-salesforce-tower-with-3-million-in-commitments-from-salesforce-org-and-marc-and-lynne-benioff-to-help-end-family-homelessness-in-san-francisco","status":"publish","type":"sf_press_release","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/press-releases\/2018\/05\/22\/salesforce-celebrates-grand-opening-of-salesforce-tower-with-3-million-in-commitments-from-salesforce-org-and-marc-and-lynne-benioff-to-help-end-family-homelessness-in-san-francisco\/","title":{"rendered":"Salesforce Celebrates Grand Opening of Salesforce Tower with $3 Million in Commitments from Salesforce.org and Marc and Lynne Benioff to Help End Family Homelessness in San Francisco"},"content":{"rendered":"

Latest donations build upon previous commitments from both Salesforce.org and the Benioffs for a total of $15 million toward Hamilton Families\u2019 Heading Home Initiative<\/i><\/p>

Salesforce employees in the Bay Area have donated nearly 1 million volunteer hours to local nonprofits<\/i><\/p>

San Francisco, CA \u2013 May 22, 2018 \u2013 Salesforce.org, the philanthropic arm of Salesforce, today announced it will donate $1.5 million to Hamilton Families\u2019 Heading Home Initiative to end long-term family homelessness in San Francisco. This gift will be matched by Marc and Lynne Benioff, who will give $1.5 million to the initiative. These donations to one of the city’s most urgent causes are being made as part of the grand opening celebration of Salesforce Tower.<\/p>

As the largest technology employer in San Francisco, Salesforce is deeply committed to serving the community in which its customers and employees live and work. Since 1999, Salesforce and Salesforce.org have donated more than $200 million in grants toward community programs, including public schools, hospitals and organizations working to end family homelessness. In addition, Salesforce employees have spent more than 3 million hours volunteering in their local communities and with nonprofits around the world.<\/p>

Since 2016, Salesforce.org has given $3.5 million toward Hamilton Families\u2019 Heading Home Initiative<\/a>, and Marc and Lynne Benioff have given $11.5 million. Heading Home aims to address family homelessness in San Francisco by providing housing for 800 families by 2020. Funding for Heading Home will be used to reduce the amount of time a family experiences homelessness\u2014from today\u2019s average of 414 days to a maximum of 90 days. It will also provide wraparound support services to increase financial and housing stability and provide direct benefit to the more than 1,800 homeless students in the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD).<\/p>

The Heading Home Initiative is a $30 million joint effort conceived by the late Mayor Ed Lee between the City and County of San Francisco, the San Francisco Unified School District, Hamilton Families and private philanthropy. Today, Hamilton Families shared a progress update on the initiative, highlighting the more than 200 families who have been housed since it launched in 2016.<\/p>

Comments on the News:<\/b><\/p>

\u201cAt Salesforce.org, we are deeply committed to improving the communities where we live and work through grants, volunteerism and our technology,\u201d said Rob Acker, CEO of Salesforce.org. \u201cThe Heading Home Initiative is a great example of businesses, community leaders and the government working together to address the most critical issue facing our city and we\u2019re proud to be a part of the solution to get every family in the city into stable housing.\u201d<\/p>

"Homelessness is the most urgent issue we face in San Francisco and it is unacceptable for any child to sleep on the street," said Marc Benioff, Chairman and CEO, Salesforce. \u201cAs a city and community, we have a moral obligation to make sure that every person and family in our city has a home. Lynne and I are proud to support the tremendous work of Hamilton Families and the Heading Home Initiative to end family homelessness.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cThe donations we\u2019ve received from Salesforce.org and Marc and Lynne Benioff through Heading Home have helped local families receive wraparound support since 2016,\u201d said Tomiquia Moss, CEO of Hamilton Families. \u201cIn addition to the monetary gifts directly impacting our community, we\u2019re proud to work side by side with Salesforce volunteers to support our overall work, resulting in tremendous impact.\u201d<\/p>

Supporting the San Francisco Community through Salesforce Tower<\/b><\/p>

To further Salesforce\u2019s commitment to the local community, Salesforce Tower will feature a unique hospitality floor, called the Ohana Floor, which will open in September 2018. Ohana is the word for "family" in Hawaiian, and represents Salesforce’s family of employees, customers, partners and the community. Located on the top floor of Salesforce Tower, it will not only be a gathering space for Salesforce employees and customers to foster collaboration, it will also be available to nonprofits to host their own events on weeknights and weekends. With an exhibition kitchen, coffee barista bar, social and networking space, and sweeping views of San Francisco, this innovative floor design will help Salesforce serve its local community. Ohana Floors will launch soon in all named Salesforce Towers globally, including Indianapolis, New York and London.<\/p>

Additional Information<\/b><\/p>