Swords to Plowshares Providing Stability for Families

By Giving List Staff   |   September 5, 2023
Maceo May Apartments, the first affordable housing site to open under the San Francisco Mayor’s Office Treasure Island redevelopment project
Grant and Regina enjoying their 2-bedroom unit in Maceo May Apartments

On San Francisco’s foggy Treasure Island, a daughter and father duo found a place to call home that addresses their needs as aging military veterans. Grant, 86 (Navy, 1953-1956), and Regina, 65 (Airforce Reserves, 1975-1978) moved into Swords to Plowshares’ Maceo May Apartments in the Spring of 2023. The housing site, the newest addition to a portfolio of permanent supportive housing facilities that the nonprofit manages, opened its doors in May 2023 with 104 brand-new units for previously homeless veterans. It provides veterans with their own living space, VA case management, mental health care, peer support, and communal activities. Before connecting with Swords, Grant and Regina lived in precarity. Regina lived in her mini-van while searching for affordable housing, while Grant bounced from a deficient assisted-living facility to friends’ couches. Connecting with Swords provided them the opportunity to reunite and find stability together. “All my life I knew I wanted to take care of my dad,” Regina beams, “I feel so honored I get to now.”

 

Swords to Plowshares

Donate now!

www.swords-to-plowshares.org
(415) 655-7248
Development & Communications Director: Colleen Corliss Murakami

Mission

War causes wounds and suffering that last beyond the battlefield. Swords to Plowshares’ mission is to heal the wounds of war, to restore dignity, hope, and self-sufficiency to all veterans in need, and to prevent and end homelessness and poverty among veterans.

Begin to Build a Relationship

We know you care about where your money goes and how it is used. Connect with this organization’s leadership in order to begin to build this important relationship. Your email will be sent directly to this organization’s Director of Development and/or Executive Director.

I lived on the streets of San Francisco for almost 20 years. I know what it’s like to have no idea how to embrace stability and community or how to prepare for the challenges that will come with aging, especially while poor and riddled with health issues from living hard on the street. When I was finally ready to turn my life around, Swords to Plowshares helped me get the best gift of all: housing.
Del Seymour, commonly referred to as the “Mayor of the Tenderloin,” is the founder of Code Tenderloin, a member of Swords to Plowshares’ board of directors, and sits on the San Francisco Local Homeless Coordinating Board

Help Vets Find the Joy They Deserve

Through the help of private donors, Swords to Plowshares has established a budget for community activities. Monetary donations to this fund allow aging vets to experience a taste of normalcy that can meaningfully enrich the quality of their lives.

Donors are in a unique position, according to Resource Development and Communications Director Colleen Corliss. “These contributions are essential to our ability to staff and execute programs that have the potential to change lives.”

Getting the vets active and out of the housing facilities Swords runs is a priceless gift. Sports games, season tickets donated by an individual with the means to make it happen, have been a great escape for the residents. 

Activities that make them feel like they are included in the day-to-day fabric of American life is a win.

Key Supporters

Ron Conway
John Keker
Craig Newmark Philanthropies
San Francisco Giants
Golden State Warriors
Wells Fargo
Bank of America
Prudential Financial
Home Depot Foundation
Sergey Brin Family Foundation