Recreational facilities:
full court gymnasium,
indoor swimming pool,
Dance studio,
Fitness center/weight room
and climbing wall
Educational facilities:
graphic arts studio,
library/computer lab
and tutoring & mentoring classrooms
Senior Services:
Meals & activity program
Social Service office
Salvation Army Chapel
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Railton Place
27 transitional housing units for youth aging out of the foster care system
43 transitional & 40 permanent housing units for single adults in substance abuse recovery
On and off- sit supportive services including case management, independent living skills, individual & group counseling and employment assistance
43 transitional & 40 permanent housing units for single adults in substance abuse recovery
On and off- sit supportive services including case management, independent living skills, individual & group counseling and employment assistance
Project Description
This is the single largest ever undertaken by the Salvation Army in San Francisco since our 1883 arrival in the city. We are building a 135,773 square foot facility consisting of comprehensive community center, as well as transitional and permanent housing at are current location:
230-242 Turk Street
110 units of transitional and permanent housing will serve single adults in substance abuse recovery and young adults who have aged out of the foster care system. The community center will be a hub of healthy and productive activity energizing both the individuals and the community as a whole. Together, The Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center and Railton Place will be a beacon of hope for the Tenderloin community.
230-242 Turk Street
110 units of transitional and permanent housing will serve single adults in substance abuse recovery and young adults who have aged out of the foster care system. The community center will be a hub of healthy and productive activity energizing both the individuals and the community as a whole. Together, The Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center and Railton Place will be a beacon of hope for the Tenderloin community.
A Labor of Love
The Salvation Army has had a community center in the Tenderloin since 1886. Through its different incarnations. The Salvation Army has always been a symbol of hope for the hurting, helping thousands of people of all ages living in this San Francisco neighborhood.
But perhaps one of its biggest incarnations is what is being celebrated today - the dedication of The Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center and Raliton Place. The 135,380 square foot community center and affordable housing facility is the culmination of more that one hundred years of serving the unique community that is the Tenderloin and San Francisco. It is also the beginning of a new era for The Salvation Army.
The first Salvation Army location in the Tenderloin was a community center at 57 Turk Street. Following that , the The Army operated an Evangeline Residence for Women from 1950's to the 1980's at 44 McAllister Street. The Salvation Army then relocated to 240 Turk Street and there it remained. The program first existed as the Bridgeway Project, an outreach designed the help individuals fight and shelter to ease suffering for many of the city's homeless. In recent years building offered social services, a meeting space, church services and after school and summer day camp for as many as 100 children.
The building was constructed in 1906 just after the great earthquake and fire that ravaged San Francisco. Early conservationists were part of constructing the new building and included ground up bricks from adjacent buildings that fell following the disaster. The fireplace featured burned bricks from other buildings, a constant reminder of the city's history. Marble staircases, glass tile floors and intricately shaped metalwork adorned the lobby and common areas offering a glimpse into early century opulence. During prohibition a speakeasy was operated, with ecess provided by a long, secret alleyway and back staircase into the basement. Common lore told us that many of the bullet holes that pierced the metal door were vintage and very well may have from a police raid - the kind seen in old movies. At other times in history, the basement was operated as a bakery with a built in brick oven still accessible right up to demolition day.
The Salvation Army acquired the building during the 1970s. The purpose and use changed as the needs of the community changed, but one thing still remained the same - it was a place of hope in an otherwise hopeless area. Traditionally the Tenderloin is considered the worst neighborhood in San Francisco. It boasts the largest drug use, sex crime and murder rates in San Francisco. On the surface it seems like a very sad place, but if you look deeper you can see hope and a future.
Lack of fire suppression on the upper floors forced the housing to close sometime after 2000. Inadequate wiring and non-handicap compliant rooms made this building a challenge to operate and the cost of upgrading a fading gem was out of reach to The Salvation Army. We needed a miracle. That miracle became a possibility in 2004 when the estate of Joan Kroc, wife of McDonald's founder Ray Kroc, announced that Salvation Army community centers allover the United States had been a vision for her too.
Years of planning and many professional dreamers later, that wish is coming true. And not a moment too soon.
The Tenderloin, 56 blocks roughly framed by Marker, Post, Van Ness and Powell streets, is clash of cultures. There are immigrant families working very hard to make a life for themselves. They live here because rents are more affordable than elsewhere in the city. There are down-and-outers who come to the neighborhood just to deal and do drugs. There are prostitutes, homeless people and a population of other people with vacant stares. And jobless people who are just down on their luck. There are also social workers,cops, bar owners and proprietors of small shops.
Approximately 3,500 children live in the neighborhood.
Unlike what children encounter in more predictable and protected neighborhoods, kids living in the Tenderloin have to live with crime, prostitution and sex shops on almost every corner. Liquor stores dot the landscape. Unsettling odors waft from the sidewalk, junkies stragger by and brisk daily trade is carried on. And despite some well-staffed and cared for recreation areas, there is till alack of safe places to play outdoors. No backyards here.
Unlike children in the c=suburbs, kids in the Tenderloin face moments when the city seems to close in around them. There is alack of safe, grassy parks here for a reason. The inviting greenery might hide a used drug needle or broken glass from a beer bottle.
Opening a state of the art community center and housing project in the middle of the worst neighborhood serve two purposes - it give opportunities to those residents who would not otherwise have them, and it may just give the neighborhood itself a boost.
Quite simple, The Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center will provide these children with a new start - a chance at a better life and options that they didn't have before. But it doesn't stop there.
A recreational community center and an affordable housing program will provide a little bit of everything for everyone. A young professional will have a place to work out in the new gym, knowing that her membership dues will go towards a good cause. A family will be able to spend a Saturday afternoon at the center. Mom and da in the gym, and grandparents taking a senior citizen swimming class, the children, hanging out with their friends in the game room, after one having taken a dance class in the dance studio, while the other worked on homework in the Computer Lab (setup and computers provided by the UPS Foundation). Someone needing just one more chance will find housing at Railton Place. All will find a place to worship on Sunday morning.
The Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center Place will provide facilities programs and services that encourage positive life changing experiences.
But perhaps one of its biggest incarnations is what is being celebrated today - the dedication of The Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center and Raliton Place. The 135,380 square foot community center and affordable housing facility is the culmination of more that one hundred years of serving the unique community that is the Tenderloin and San Francisco. It is also the beginning of a new era for The Salvation Army.
The first Salvation Army location in the Tenderloin was a community center at 57 Turk Street. Following that , the The Army operated an Evangeline Residence for Women from 1950's to the 1980's at 44 McAllister Street. The Salvation Army then relocated to 240 Turk Street and there it remained. The program first existed as the Bridgeway Project, an outreach designed the help individuals fight and shelter to ease suffering for many of the city's homeless. In recent years building offered social services, a meeting space, church services and after school and summer day camp for as many as 100 children.
The building was constructed in 1906 just after the great earthquake and fire that ravaged San Francisco. Early conservationists were part of constructing the new building and included ground up bricks from adjacent buildings that fell following the disaster. The fireplace featured burned bricks from other buildings, a constant reminder of the city's history. Marble staircases, glass tile floors and intricately shaped metalwork adorned the lobby and common areas offering a glimpse into early century opulence. During prohibition a speakeasy was operated, with ecess provided by a long, secret alleyway and back staircase into the basement. Common lore told us that many of the bullet holes that pierced the metal door were vintage and very well may have from a police raid - the kind seen in old movies. At other times in history, the basement was operated as a bakery with a built in brick oven still accessible right up to demolition day.
The Salvation Army acquired the building during the 1970s. The purpose and use changed as the needs of the community changed, but one thing still remained the same - it was a place of hope in an otherwise hopeless area. Traditionally the Tenderloin is considered the worst neighborhood in San Francisco. It boasts the largest drug use, sex crime and murder rates in San Francisco. On the surface it seems like a very sad place, but if you look deeper you can see hope and a future.
Lack of fire suppression on the upper floors forced the housing to close sometime after 2000. Inadequate wiring and non-handicap compliant rooms made this building a challenge to operate and the cost of upgrading a fading gem was out of reach to The Salvation Army. We needed a miracle. That miracle became a possibility in 2004 when the estate of Joan Kroc, wife of McDonald's founder Ray Kroc, announced that Salvation Army community centers allover the United States had been a vision for her too.
Years of planning and many professional dreamers later, that wish is coming true. And not a moment too soon.
The Tenderloin, 56 blocks roughly framed by Marker, Post, Van Ness and Powell streets, is clash of cultures. There are immigrant families working very hard to make a life for themselves. They live here because rents are more affordable than elsewhere in the city. There are down-and-outers who come to the neighborhood just to deal and do drugs. There are prostitutes, homeless people and a population of other people with vacant stares. And jobless people who are just down on their luck. There are also social workers,cops, bar owners and proprietors of small shops.
Approximately 3,500 children live in the neighborhood.
Unlike what children encounter in more predictable and protected neighborhoods, kids living in the Tenderloin have to live with crime, prostitution and sex shops on almost every corner. Liquor stores dot the landscape. Unsettling odors waft from the sidewalk, junkies stragger by and brisk daily trade is carried on. And despite some well-staffed and cared for recreation areas, there is till alack of safe places to play outdoors. No backyards here.
Unlike children in the c=suburbs, kids in the Tenderloin face moments when the city seems to close in around them. There is alack of safe, grassy parks here for a reason. The inviting greenery might hide a used drug needle or broken glass from a beer bottle.
Opening a state of the art community center and housing project in the middle of the worst neighborhood serve two purposes - it give opportunities to those residents who would not otherwise have them, and it may just give the neighborhood itself a boost.
Quite simple, The Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center will provide these children with a new start - a chance at a better life and options that they didn't have before. But it doesn't stop there.
A recreational community center and an affordable housing program will provide a little bit of everything for everyone. A young professional will have a place to work out in the new gym, knowing that her membership dues will go towards a good cause. A family will be able to spend a Saturday afternoon at the center. Mom and da in the gym, and grandparents taking a senior citizen swimming class, the children, hanging out with their friends in the game room, after one having taken a dance class in the dance studio, while the other worked on homework in the Computer Lab (setup and computers provided by the UPS Foundation). Someone needing just one more chance will find housing at Railton Place. All will find a place to worship on Sunday morning.
The Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center Place will provide facilities programs and services that encourage positive life changing experiences.
Dedication June 27th 2008
Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center and Railton Place
The History behind the name
On January 20, 2004, The Salvation Army announced receipt of $1.5 billion from the estate of Joan Kroc, widow of McDonalds restaurant founder Ray Kroc. Half of the funds will used for the construction of 25-30 community centers across the United States. The other half will be placed in endowment for the operation of the centers. The Salvation Army in San Francisco received a significant allocation to build the new Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center.
In 2004, a spokesman for the estate said that Mrs. Kroc confidently believed that The Salvation Army was uniquely positioned to oversee her gift and her vision to build multiple community centers throughout the country. "Mrs. Kroc was aware of the extraordinary reach of the Army throughout the United States, and their experience in creating programs to reach the people in local communities who need it most," said Dick Starmann. "Furthermore, she trusted this organization to be financially efficient in managing a gift of this size."
As she stated when making the donation for the San Diego center, Mrs. Kroc was inspired by her personal concern for all to live in peace and for youth and adults to have resources that would enable them to reach their full potential. She described the San Diego facility as "a miniature peace center" during the dedication. Mrs Kroc remarked at the time, "Here, children will learn of each other - that's more important than this being a center for recreation."
RAILTON PLACE
The history behind the name
George Scott Railton was one of the unique personalities who helped form the character of The Salvation Army. The son of a Methodist minister, he lost both parents as a result of fever when he was 15 and found himself penniless, homeless, jobless and orphaned. Moved by news of the work of The Salvation Army, Railton journeyed to London in October 1872 to begin his long association with founder General William Booth and the for many years lived as a guest in the Booth household.
In 1880 Railton persuaded General Booth to send him to America and on March 10th he arrived to Castle Garden, New York with seven 'Hallelujah Lassies' to help him start the work of The Salvation Army. New York was fertile territory for the Army, and the work spread rapidly. The Salvation Army came to San Francisco just a few short years later in 1883.
A talent for languages enabled Commissioner Railton to be effective for the Army in many parts of the world. So, he returned to England on the orders of General Booth in early 1880s and was later dispatched to Germany, Spain and Africa to begin the Army's work across the world.
Though he was in poor health, Commissioner Railton continued to travel extensively throughout the remainder of his life, visiting China, Japan and Russia. It was on one of his many journeys that his life came to a sudden end. Commissioner George Scott Railton was "promoted to glory" on July 19th 1913.
The History behind the name
On January 20, 2004, The Salvation Army announced receipt of $1.5 billion from the estate of Joan Kroc, widow of McDonalds restaurant founder Ray Kroc. Half of the funds will used for the construction of 25-30 community centers across the United States. The other half will be placed in endowment for the operation of the centers. The Salvation Army in San Francisco received a significant allocation to build the new Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center.
In 2004, a spokesman for the estate said that Mrs. Kroc confidently believed that The Salvation Army was uniquely positioned to oversee her gift and her vision to build multiple community centers throughout the country. "Mrs. Kroc was aware of the extraordinary reach of the Army throughout the United States, and their experience in creating programs to reach the people in local communities who need it most," said Dick Starmann. "Furthermore, she trusted this organization to be financially efficient in managing a gift of this size."
As she stated when making the donation for the San Diego center, Mrs. Kroc was inspired by her personal concern for all to live in peace and for youth and adults to have resources that would enable them to reach their full potential. She described the San Diego facility as "a miniature peace center" during the dedication. Mrs Kroc remarked at the time, "Here, children will learn of each other - that's more important than this being a center for recreation."
RAILTON PLACE
The history behind the name
George Scott Railton was one of the unique personalities who helped form the character of The Salvation Army. The son of a Methodist minister, he lost both parents as a result of fever when he was 15 and found himself penniless, homeless, jobless and orphaned. Moved by news of the work of The Salvation Army, Railton journeyed to London in October 1872 to begin his long association with founder General William Booth and the for many years lived as a guest in the Booth household.
In 1880 Railton persuaded General Booth to send him to America and on March 10th he arrived to Castle Garden, New York with seven 'Hallelujah Lassies' to help him start the work of The Salvation Army. New York was fertile territory for the Army, and the work spread rapidly. The Salvation Army came to San Francisco just a few short years later in 1883.
A talent for languages enabled Commissioner Railton to be effective for the Army in many parts of the world. So, he returned to England on the orders of General Booth in early 1880s and was later dispatched to Germany, Spain and Africa to begin the Army's work across the world.
Though he was in poor health, Commissioner Railton continued to travel extensively throughout the remainder of his life, visiting China, Japan and Russia. It was on one of his many journeys that his life came to a sudden end. Commissioner George Scott Railton was "promoted to glory" on July 19th 1913.
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