San Francisco Association of Realtors Foundation

The Welcome Home Project (WHP) is the main program of the SFAR Foundation. Founded in 2015, the Project works with over 50 government and nonprofit agencies who work on finding permanent housing for the homeless. Once housing is identified and a move-in date is set, the Project puts together a personalized package for each household - similar to a dormitory move-in kit. Individuals and families can move into their new homes with new home goods which include: linens (pillows, blankets, bed sheets, bath towel sets), cookware and other cooking utensils (includes can opener, knives, and cutting boards), dinnerware and cutlery, personal hygiene kits (with full-size items such as shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss, nail clippers, razors, cotton swabs, and more), cleaning kits (buckets filled with laundry detergent, fabric softener, dishwashing detergent, sponges, cleaning cloths, rubber gloves, dustpan and broom, and more), scissors for opening their packages, first aid kits, and small appliances (such as coffee makers, toasters, microwave ovens, rice cookers, inside electric grills, blenders, etc). Since 2015, the WHP has helped over 6,000 homeless people move into their new homes - about 25% of these are children still living with their parents/guardians. We also help during emergencies and have helped victims of the wildfires and apartment building fires in the Bay Area. During the pandemic, our warehouse was emptied to ensure the City was able to house as many people as possible, as comfortably as possible. In 2020, the WHP started distributing new and used furniture as available and as needed. As realtors, many of our members have access to furniture as their clients move. Furniture manufacturers also donate new or returned furniture for our program. The WHP - on average - helps about 175 people a month move into their new homes.