How Commissioner Amerika Sanchez Advocates for Her Community

Donovan Gomez | February 28, 2023 | sfpuc.org

As a Commissioner of the Southeast Community Facility, Amerika Sanchez helps make critical decisions on behalf of her community. Commissioner Sanchez is a proud resident of the Bayview and loves giving back to her community. She also serves as the Principal for Five Keys Charter Schools and Programs, an anchor tenant in the Southeast Community Center. 

Commissioner Sanchez advocates for her students and their families to learn more about the career options available in the utilities industry. “Even as an adult, you can go back to school or receive specialized training to start a new career path. Many careers in the utilities industry allow for transferable skills; in addition, there are also local organizations that target workforce development in the utilities industry,” she said. “It is never too late to learn and reinvent yourself!”

She goes on to explain the importance of exposing her students to career paths in the utilities industry. “The utilities industry addresses many societal issues and needs. As an educator, I find that young students naturally ask a lot of utilities-related questions, such as: ‘How does electricity get into my home?’ or ‘How much rain is needed to end a drought?’ Behind these kinds of questions, are experts who can provide answers.”

Her quest for authentic learning experiences for her students has led her to various educational experiences outside of the classroom. She has participated in teacher study tours outside of the United States, served on Western Association of Schools and Colleges visiting committees, and has held membership with multiple professional organizations for educators. “The more I travel and interact with Black people from different countries, I realize that we have a lot in common and can collectively contribute to the greater Black community, here in the United States, and abroad. There are so many opportunities for social, political and economic advancement, if we can continue to embrace a collective ‘WE’ mentality.”

When asked what Black History Month means to her, she said that it serves as a reminder of how Black Americans carved a space in every aspect of American society. “This month celebrates the milestones of exceptional individuals who were founders, creators and trailblazers of every field possible,” she said. “Black History also honors the experiences of everyday Black Americans, who navigated through many challenges, and still managed to find community, success and joy, despite those obstacles.”

Donovan Gomez

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Furniture Annex by Five Keys Ribbon Cutting

Timm Quinn
Stockton Chamber of Commerce
December 3, 2022

For almost 20 years, Five Keys across California have been helping people build or repair their lives. From prisoners and the formerly incarcerated, to the unhoused and others striving to gain the education they missed out on because of significant life challenges, Five Keys helps redesign and redefine people’s live with hope and new opportunities.

Now, Five Keys is excited to announce the opening of its Furniture Annex, a luxury home furnishing store, with furnishings and decorative items donated from a high-end retailer. 100% of the sales will underwrite Five Keys’ programs.

Read More on Stockton Chamber of Commerce

Dignity Village Groundbreaking Ceremony

Maurice Ramirez, Alamedapost.com
Posted Nov 7, 2022, at 7:50 am PT

On October 25, 2022, the City of Alameda held a ceremony to celebrate breaking ground for construction of Dignity Village on Fifth Street. City Council authorized the project in a 4-1 vote on April 5, with Councilmember Trish Herrera Spencer voting against. The City of Alameda is sponsoring the project. $2,555,844 in operational funding and $9,225,536 for the development of the project is coming from the State of California (State) through the Housing and Community Development Department (HCD), and another $2,654,622 in capitalized operational reserves sourced from the Alameda County Housing and Community Development Department. The City is also contributing $10,855,995 towards the development and operations of this project.

Dignity Village will be administered by two organizations. DignityMoves, is serving as the project development manager. Five Keys Schools and Programs will serve as the onsite social service provider and property manager. The complex consists of a two-story shelter, a three-story shelter, an administration building, a community building, community gardens, a pet area, and 27 parking spaces. When it is completed, the center will house up to 61 individuals and couples in 47 units. Dignity Village will serve the homeless, chronically homeless, and homeless youth.

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Construction Of Dignity Village To Kick-Off In Alameda

Dignity Village, an Interim Supportive Housing project in Alameda, will serve the homeless, chronically homeless, and homeless youth.

Kim Harris, Patch Staff, Patch.com
Posted Mon, Oct 24, 2022 at 2:38 pm PT|

ALAMEDA, CA — Construction on Dignity Village, a two story, 47 room Interim Supportive Housing project located at 2350 Fifth Street, will begin Tuesday, Oct. 25 at 10 a.m. with a kick-off celebration, the city of Alameda announced in a news release.

When completed, Dignity Village will serve the homeless, chronically homeless and homeless youth, the city said.

Pictured (left to right): Assemblymember Mia Bonta, Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcroft, Senator Nancy Skinner, City Staffmember Lisa Maxwell, Elizabeth Funk, CEO DignityMoves, and Steve Good, CEO Five Keys

Each of Dignity Village's 168 square foot rooms will include a private bathroom. The project also boasts community programming spaces, including a dining space, community garden and courtyard, as well as meeting rooms, private offices for support services staff, and storage, the city said.

Speakers at the kick-off celebration include Alameda Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft, Alameda Community Development Director Lisa Maxwell, Assemblymember Mia Bonta, Senator Nancy Skinner, Elizabeth Funk of DignityMoves and Steve Good, President and CEO of Five Keys Schools and Programs.

According to the news release, Dignity Village has received $2,555,844 in operational funding and $9,225,536 for the development of the project from the State of California through the Housing and Community Development Department, and $2,654,622 in capitalized operational reserves from Alameda County Housing and Community Development Department with the support of Alameda County Supervisor Dave Brown. The city of Alameda is also contributing $10,855,995 towards the development and operations of the project.

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Pardon Us: Meet the Women Behind Home Free Here, they open up about life after prison

On Never Losing Hope

Meet Nilda Sarayda Palacios, 39

Today: Health worker, the San Francisco Department of Public Health

Life behind bars: Nilda was 17 when she was convicted and sentenced. For 17 years, Nilda served time behind bars, ending up in prison and sentenced to 27-years-to-life for killing a man who was abusing her physically and very cruelly and emotionally during the time she was homeless. She wasn’t allowed to bring into court evidence of abuse.

Beginning again:  Nilda was released in 2017 from the California Institution for Women in Chino, CA. Her sentence was reduced to involuntary manslaughter, and she was given credit for time served. For 16 years prior to that, she spent 16 years in Central California’s Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, the largest women’s prison in the state. 

First thing she did when she was released:  “I went to the beach and wrote ‘freedom’ in the sand.”

In a name: Nilda’s name comes  from the Greek word that stands for “Warrior

Woman.” It’s a name her Guatemalan mother picked for her after a niece who died early, and her mother says, is meant to conjure up the image of a woman always having to face challenges all on her own.  As she grew older, Nilda changed her name for a while to “Emily,” her brother’s middle name. In prison she had to abandon both names and was referred to as an identification number.

Moving on: Life after being behind bars: “I do self-nurturing and self-care by focusing my energy and time on things that are interesting to me. I’m also mindful of my five year parole plan and not allowing myself to be deterred from completing the plan objectives.”

Mantra and mission:  “Do not lose hope, engage in persistent prayer, and rely on your unwavering faith. My overall message is to be kind to others as you may never know when you’re entertaining angels, remain consistent in reaching for your dreams and don’t give up no matter how difficult things may seem.”

How she’s redefining herself: “I’m reconnecting with the community, working

on being more spiritually grounded and more open to learning things I didn’t know about myself.

Favorite book: The Notebook, by Nicholas Sparks an intensely romantic book—a novel about the everlasting power of “true love.”

Her Good News: In the five years Nilda has been working tirelessly to have her dream come true — to own her own home. She set a goal and worked every day toward it. In August, she purchased a three-bed, three-bath home in Pittsburgh, CA, where she lives with her new partner, and dog, Milo. Over the Labor Day weekend, she hosted a weekend-long celebration inviting her whole family over.

Five Keys staff donate backpacks, school supplies to LA-area students

Five Keys Celebrates “Happy Back to School!” for Students in Huntington Park, CA

Five Keys staff gathered more than 3,000 backpacks and school supplies for students of all ages heading back to school in Huntington Park, CA, a mostly Hispanic, working-class community in the inner Southeastern Los Angeles area.

On August 13, members of Five Keys’ ELO and Student Services teams joined the “Happy Back to School” event, which drew more than 5,000 people, and sponsored by Be Social Productions, according to Carol Guillen, Learning Recovery Manager.

“Our goal was to engage with the community and give back,” says Guillen. “One of the Five Keys stands for ‘Community’ and this event gave us the opportunity to immerse with one of the communities we service. We were able to give back to school age students and share the great services Five Keys provides with those interested in enrolling.”

The event, held at Salt Lake Park in Huntington Park included surprise guest, J.R. Villanueva, from the Disney Channel series Ultra Violet & Black Scorpion and included free backpacks, school supplies,  COVID-19 vaccines, health screenings, free kids’ haircuts, arts and crafts, raffles and much more.

A shoutout goes to Baby2Baby, a nonprofit which provides diapers, formula and the basic needs for children living in poverty, and Big Sunday, an LA-area organization which organizes more than 2,000 ways for volunteers to help the community each year.

Big Sunday donated 175 pre-filled back packs and Baby2Baby donated over 6,000 writing utensils (pens/pencils/markers/color pencils) along with some binders. Five Keys provided "swag" items such as pencil pouches, hand sanitizers, portable chargers, lip balms, coasters, notebooks, and pens with the Five Keys logo. The Five Keys booth drew much attention to Five Keys’ ESL classes, adds Guillen.

Five Keys staff who helped organize the event included: Carol Guillen, Andrea Casillas, Learning Recovery Paraprofessional, Claudia Tinajero, Administrative Assistant, Karla Muñoz, Administrative Assistant, Dorothy Velasco, Assistant Director of Operations and Vanessa Martinez, Regional Administrative Manager.

Planting Seeds for Success: Five Keys Community Farming Initiative Gets Green Thumbs Up with $300,000 USDA Urban Agriculture Innovation Grant

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, August 16, 2022 – Five Keys Schools & Programs’ Ecological Agriculture Training/NORCO (EAT!) program received a $300,000 innovation grant from The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to fund its innovative urban agriculture program in Southern California.

“This grant will help local farmers through our EAT program create new, more affordable, and better local market options and help our urban community produce fresh and healthy food locally and reduce food waste,” said Steve Good, President & CEO Five Keys. “Supporting agriculture in our urban communities helps grow our economy and provides food to people, while creating a new generation of farmers.”  

Through its Urban Agriculture and Innovative Practices (UAIP) Grant program and cooperative services agreements, the USDA is investing $43.1 million in urban agriculture programs across the country to help deliver key USDA programs to urban producers. These actions support USDA’s efforts to strengthen the food supply chain and transform the food system to be fairer, more competitive, and more resilient.

Five Key’s EAT Center is a community-based program, partnered with the city of Norco, CA that is part of a growing trend of community farms that are cropping up across the country. EAT stands for Ecological Agriculture Training. Its mission is three-fold: to build community, empower small businesses and strengthen the City of Norco and Riverside County’s rural economy. One of the goals is creating a new generation of farmers while reducing food insecurity and inspiring hands-on farming among community members in Norco, and inspiring other towns to do the same. 

Five Keys farming programs originally were founded to serve in-custody (county jail) populations, through its correctional education programs. When the funding ended for these programs, Five Keys pivoted to community-based farming and found a willing partner in the City of Norco.

“We’re building a community that aims to educate, inspire, advocate, and create change,” says Chris Faucher, Assistant Director of Career Technical Education. Patrick Mitchell, EAT! Program Instructor and Mentor, added: “Food is the great connector. It is something that is embraced by the community and gives people a chance to support each other and be involved in a life-giving project together.”

During the first few months of the pandemic, the Five Keys EAT! Center pivoted to create social distancing safety protocols and launched the Small Farm Apprenticeship Program to train new farmers in regenerative and sustainable practices. In 2021 Five Keys and the EAT! Center launched the Norco Rural Farmers and Artisans Market. This weekly event is designed to support local farmers and small businesses. It features more than 20 arts and craft vendors, eight farms, three community organizations and seven cottage food businesses. Recently the EAT! Cultural Center launched the Family Agriculture Revival Movement. The FARM! Program is designed to engage farm families in the culture and community of farming. The program offers seminars and workshops that are open to everyone from the community. Many of our workshops will focus on topics ranging from canning, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, branding and more. Seasonal events and celebrations also are planned to support the local small farm effort.

Long-term plans for EAT! include community education programs and special events. In the short term, Five Keys is building the Ecological Agriculture Training Farm on land bordering the Cultural Center in Norco, CA. The training farm will provide hands on experience in various small scale, intensive agricultural practices. This USDA funding will support all of these programs, though it only covers approximately half the total required budget.

About Five Keys Schools & Programs

Five Keys was founded in 2003 by the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department as the first accredited charter high school in the nation to provide diploma programs for adults in county jails. Today Five Keys is a social justice non-profit agency that has expanded its schools into 9 counties, in 24 jail locations and over 80 community learning centers. In addition to schools, Five Keys operates multiple homeless shelters, permanent supportive housing programs, transitional employment programs, reentry programs and housing for women suffering from immense injustice. Five Keys is a second chance employer. Our goal is to restore communities through education and other programs that respond to the students’ and community needs — which in turn creates safer communities.  Visit: www.fivekeys.org.

 

About the Urban Agriculture and Innovation Production (UAIP) Grant. The UAIP competitive grants initiate or expand efforts of farmers, gardeners, citizens, government officials, schools, and other stakeholders in urban areas and suburbs. Projects may target areas of food access; education; business and start-up costs for new farmers; and development of policies related to zoning and other needs of urban production. To learn more visit: usda.gov.

Treasure Island housing gives domestic abuse survivors second chance

BY SHARON CHIN

UPDATED ON: AUGUST 11, 2022 / 6:00 PM / CBS SAN FRANCISCO

TREASURE ISLAND - Domestic violence survivors are unlocking hope in their new homes, in what's believed to be a first-of-its-kind housing program in California.

Cooking in her own kitchen was a taste of freedom Belinda Anderson had not known for more than half her life.

"I'm starting my life at the age most people retire," she said.

Anderson was once a dental assistant, living with her boyfriend and their daughter.

She recalled, "The hitting started, the beating started, then the cheating came."

She says back then, people didn't consider the behavior domestic violence as we do today.

"I felt like such a failure. I couldn't tell [people] what I was going through, because they would've been like, 'Girl, shake it off!'" Anderson said.

So she looked for coping mechanisms.

"I grasped at anything. I grasped at other people's lifestyles. I grasped at using drugs, and then that became my life," she said.

And one day, the San Francisco native killed a cab driver during a robbery. She spent the last 31 years in state prison in Chowchilla.

Abuse survivors like Anderson have served decades-long prison terms; some for killing their violent partners. But legislative reforms in the last decade have allowed women to challenge their convictions by showing they were abuse victims.

Anderson was released in March. Governor Jerry Brown commuted her life sentence.

"It was like a dream," she said, to hear of her release.

Anderson is one of up to a dozen formerly incarcerated women who live in furnished 2-bedroom apartments on Treasure Island rent-free.

The Five Keys Home Free Project started the innovative transitional housing program two years ago, to help abuse survivors unlock a second chance at life.

"When I walked through that door, I was like - I got an apartment. You know, I held the keys, I rattled the keys. I just kept jiggling the keys in my hand," Anderson smiled.

She is getting the wide-ranging support she needs to re-enter society: a second family at five keys, a job, technology and financial literacy classes, and help enrolling in college this fall.

"I wake up with a smile on my face every morning because it's like, 'God, thank you, I made it,"" Anderson declared.

Every day is new experience. From the high cost of eating out, to sleeping in a room alone.

"At first it was kind of spooky to me, because you could hear every little sound," she said.

Simple pleasures bring her joy: her comfortable bed, bubble baths as long as or as many times as she wants, and breathtaking views of the bay bridge from her back window.

"It';; be all lit up at night. Sometimes I just stand here and it'd be like, 'I'm really home, there it is !'" she reflected.

Thanks to Five Keys, Anderson is hope-filled, and home free.

The nonprofit's second annual fundraiser, Home for Dinner, will be held September 22nd at Delancey street. Five Keys is also planning to open another Home Free in the Los Angeles area.

For more information, you can go to www.fivekeyshomefree.org.

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