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History of the Foundation
The Bayview Hunters Point Foundation for Community Improvement, Inc. (BVHPFCI) was established by citizens of the Bayview Hunters Point district to serve the residents of its community. The Foundation’s first Executive Director, the late Ernest Mitchell, Jr., grew up in this district witnessing the high rate of unemployment, drug abuse and crime. Ernest was keenly aware of the disproportionate number of community residents being charged with crimes and being incarcerated. In 1970 he pulled together the resources to begin doing something about these concerns and led the formation of the Community Defender Program that provided more than just a legal defense. These attorneys understood that many of the problems stemmed from the environmental conditions of poverty and racism. Individually, these problems were manifested as drug and alcohol addiction and mental health issues. Consequently, the approach of responding comprehensively to the needs of community residents was established. This work was the beginning of a formal process provided the philosophical basis for the agency; this is that services to residents of the area must offer comprehensive programming to meet all of the interrelated needs of individuals and their families. So in 1971, Ernest Mitchell was able to establish the Bayview Hunters Point Foundation for Community Improvement, Inc as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. The vision of this new organization was expressed in its name in that it was to serve as a foundation on which services could be provided to improve the lives of the residents of the Bayview Hunters Point community. Through this vision and personal commitment to the community Ernest Mitchell proved to be a capable leader. His ability to stretch the meager financial resources is expressed by the often-repeated remark that it was not necessary to order a box of pencils because, “We can only write with one pencil at a time.” Throughout the 1970’s BVHPFCI developed a comprehensive array of services to address the needs of the residents of the community. In addition to legal services, the agency began focusing on the substance abuse programming. This included obtaining funding for an alcohol treatment program and taking responsibility for a methadone clinic that had previously been operated by the city. BVHPFCI then began to work on mental health needs of the area’s residents. It assumed responsibility for the mental health services that had previously been offered in this community by the John Hale Mental Health Services. The agency then turned its attention toward meeting the particular needs of children and youth. By the 1980’s BVHPFCI had gained considerable experience and knowledge in delivering culturally competent services for African American and other ethnic populations in mental health, substance abuse and other public health areas. The agency used this experience to develop programs throughout the city which included mental health outpatient and day treatment in the Tenderloin, delivering methadone services in the San Francisco County Jails, as well as outreach, treatment and research in the Southeast sector of the City when the AIDS epidemic became a major focus throughout San Francisco. These concentrated efforts enabled BVHPFCI to expand its services citywide. The decade of the 1990’s represented a time when the agency continued to develop expertise to consolidate the legal, youth, mental health, and substance abuse services for which it had become recognized. This was also a time in which there was a growing concern about violence in the community. BVHPFCI successfully competed for funding to serve youth involved in the juvenile justice system. During this period the agency innovated a number of culturally relevant violence prevention and intervention programs. As we approach the second decade of the 21st century, the Bayview Hunters Point community and the City continue to struggle with the issues that initially inspired the establishment of BVHPFCI. In the ensuing 38 years, the organization has garnered considerable expertise in serving individuals and families with multiple needs. BVHPFCI continues to be inspired to develop innovative program models to meet the needs of community residents and their families. BVHPFCI is now a multi-resource agency that continues to effectively use its resources to provide culturally competent and comprehensive services. |
