San Francisco County
Building a Thriving San Francisco
Supporting Equitable Access and Opportunity
Welcome to our page dedicated to San Francisco County, a dynamic and diverse community where innovation meets social responsibility. As the heart of the Bay Area, San Francisco County is a hub of cultural, economic, and technological advancement. However, an urgent need to address disparities and ensure equitable access to opportunities for all residents persists.
We are committed to promoting equity and social justice in San Francisco County. Through this page, we aim to provide you with valuable data and insights that shed light on the specific challenges faced by our San Francisco community and the initiatives we undertake to create positive change. From affordable housing and homelessness prevention to education and workforce development, we work collaboratively to support individuals and families to strengthen the fabric of the city.
We Are Stronger Together.
When hard times hit, Jesse—like many in the Bay Area—struggled to find well-paying work. Soon he and his family couldn’t afford rent on their place in Hayward. They were staying in a homeless shelter when Jesse visited his local family resource center and saw a flyer for SparkPoint.
A cornerstone of United Way Bay Area’s poverty-fighting efforts, SparkPoint offers low-income individuals and families free one-on-one financial and career coaching and education to help them build brighter futures for themselves and their families.
Working with his financial coach, Jesse began taking steps to get his finances in order and rebuild his credit.
“I thought credit was just for rich people, wasn’t for people like us, people from the hood.”
Jesse’s finances began to improve but he still struggled to find work until his coach told him: “If you can’t find work, just make your own job.” Jesse took those words to heart and soon started his own catering business, Tita’s Tacos, named after his wife with whom he runs the business.
“Just having that financial coach really helped.”
The Need in San Francisco County
Living in San Francsico is expensive
A typical family of four would need $127,332 to meet basic needs in San Francisco. The median income for SF residents is $119,136.
Income inequality in San Francisco is growing
The top 5% make an average of $800,000, compared with $16,000 for the lowest 20%.
Residents are having a hard time making rent
More than 17,250 households are behind on rent with average of $8,400 rent debt per household (total $145 million).
Our Impact in the Community
Free Tax Help
(Free tax preparation for anyone who needs it)
Free Tax Help has helped provide 15.6 million in refunds back into the pockets of San Francisco County residents.
SparkPoint
(Centers that provide one-stop access to a full range of services to move families towards financial prosperity.)
SparkPoint centers in San Francisco County have served 2,756 individuals providing resources for basic needs, employment and career opportunities, and financial coaching.
211
(A free, vital service that connects callers with health and human services (food, shelter, childcare, legal services)
20,559 referrals to basic needs and community resources were made to 211. Of those referrals, 8,655 were made to housing or shelter related services.
Explore the Data
The Real Cost Measure
United Ways of California, in partnership with California’s 29 local United Ways, is proud to release How Much it Costs to Struggle: The Real Cost Measure in California 2023, a study on what it takes to make ends meet in California.
Unlike the official poverty measure which primarily accounts for the cost of food, the Real Cost Measure factors the costs of housing, food, health care, childcare, transportation and other basic needs to reveal what it really costs to live in California.
Explore our Real Cost Measure dashboard
211 Bay Area
(A free, vital service that connects callers with health and human services (food, shelter, childcare, legal services))
2-1-1 phone and text services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and are available in 150 languages through phone interpretation services and English and Spanish for text services.
Explore our 211 Dashboard
