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(CNN) – UC San Francisco has launched a new research initiative to uncover the root causes of homelessness – and solutions to address it – with the $ 30 million donation from Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff and his wife Lynne.
The school announced Wednesday the creation of the UCSF Benioff homelessness and housing initiative.
"The world needs a North Star for the truth about homelessness," said Benioff said in a statement. "UCSF Benioff's homelessness and housing initiative will be the responsibility of North Star, which will provide the latest research, data and evidence solutions to ensure we invest in programs that help solve the problem." the homelessness crisis.
Benioff, who was born and raised in San Francisco and is now the CEO of the city's largest employer, has been active in this file in the past.
Last year, he lobbied to promote Proposition C, which would tax big businesses based in the city and use the money raised to fight homelessness. The local voting measure has been adopted by voters and is waiting to be validated by a court.
"Homelessness is not just a problem in the Bay Area, it affects all communities in California, and our state and nation as a whole have a lot to gain from this work," said the governor. from California, Gavin Newsom, in a statement.
"Marc and Lynne have been leaders in this area, and this generous investment will help fuel the search for solutions and further develop best practices to help homeless people improve their lives."
According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, a total of 552,830 people were homeless one night in 2018 throughout America.
According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, every day of the same year in California, more than 129,000 people were homeless.
"Rising housing costs and income inequality are for the first time causing homelessness for people, including families and seniors," said UCSF in a statement.
Margot Kushel, professor of medicine at UCSF and director of the Vulnerable Populations Center at UCSF, will lead the initiative.
"There is no medicine as powerful as housing, but the problem is complex," Kushel said in a statement. "We know a lot about how to end homelessness, but this knowledge does not always reach decision-makers and is often not targeted properly.We have much more to learn about designing the most effective ways to prevent and end homelessness. "
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