Introducing the Place to Prosper Pilot Program

Initiated in 2009, the Partnership for HOPE SF aims to introduce mixed-income communities in four former public housing neighborhoods- Potrero Hill, Sunnydale, Alice Griffith, and Hunters View- without the displacement of legacy residents. HOPE SF neighborhoods are home to a residential community with 45% of residents identifying as African American/Black, and a median household income of $15,000. The most recent initiative aimed at supporting resident well-being and advancing community wealth is a pilot-to-policy program known as Place to Prosper.

Led by the San Francisco Foundation, the Place to Prosper pilot began as a conversation rooted in community. Between October 2020 and March 2022, the HOPE SF Wealth Building and Planning Design Team met weekly to gather resident ideas and input on the focus of an upcoming pilot opportunity. Through discussion and collaboration, thirteen HOPE SF residents and community partners created the Wealth Building Framework and selected a direct cash transfer pilot as the foundation of the upcoming program.

Grounded in the Wealth Building Framework, the Place to Prosper pilot centers Blackness, intentionally addressing anti-Blackness and recognizing economic disadvantage. The Place to Prosper pilot “puts Black people at the core of a vision for racial justice with the understanding that pulling the most marginalized to the center lifts up everyone.” (Wealth Building Framework, 2021) The two-year place-based pilot will deposit $750 monthly to 75 HOPE SF families with children under 5 years old, intentionally centering Black HOPE SF residents in its eligibility process. The Place to Prosper pilot responds directly to the needs of residents with generational ties to the neighborhood by selecting resident advisors, researchers, and participant groups that reflect the racial demographic of HOPE SF sites, which is majority Black identifying.

One of Place to Prosper’s integral partners is Jumuiya Research Institute (JRI), a Black women-led research firm based in San Francisco. JRI is dedicated to educating and training participants to conduct research and tell their stories on racial stress using Afrocentric methods, leading the recruitment of HOPE SF residents as Resident Researchers or members of the Resident Advisory Council. Resident Researchers will learn to conduct community research to understand the effects of the pilot, while members of the Resident Advisory Council will build leadership skills and advise on key aspects of the program.  

This pilot is one in a series of strategies the Partnership for HOPE SF hopes to implement in the coming years, supporting HOPE SF residents in meeting basic needs while creating room for them to breathe, dream, and build wealth over time. Potential outcomes from this pilot program include increases in parent economic stability by a sustained ability to meet basic needs, as well as improvements in child educational achievement and family well-being. The direct cash transfers may stabilize neighborhood displacement and enhance feelings of safety as defined by community members themselves. The leadership of JRI in examining this impact of cash support through resident-led research will measure the potential for long-term, sustainable policy reform supporting economic security, social connection, and family well-being in HOPE SF neighborhoods.