When Corporate Partnership Becomes Community: Gap Foundation & SafeHouse
At SafeHouse, we know that real change is rarely accomplished alone. That is why, for the past two years, we are proud to have Gap Foundation as a steadfast partner and champion of our mission as we work to break the cycle of homelessness for survivors of trafficking or exploitation.
“We are deeply thankful to the Gap Foundation for their belief in the work we’re doing at San Francisco SafeHouse. Together, we’re expanding opportunities and creating pathways to lasting change for our city’s most vulnerable women.”
-Toni Eby, MSW, CEO
Opportunity, equity, and inclusion — these are the gaps that exist for women who have experienced exploitation or trafficking, and these are three of Gap Foundation’s pillars of purpose that guide their impact in their community. As SafeHouse has worked to bridge these gaps by creating pathways to safe housing, Gap Foundation has stood by our side, providing the resources our clients need to help them cross that bridge.
Gap Foundation’s partnership with us began in 2024 with a $50,000 grant that has been truly transformative for SafeHouse. Their generosity has allowed us to expand our reach—connecting more women to safe housing, essential resources, job readiness programs, and healing services like art therapy, group therapy, or our brand new shower and laundry program.
“I want to express my deepest gratitude to San Francisco SafeHouse, which gave me a life-changing opportunity to reclaim my life after my experience of trafficking. SafeHouse taught me
independence, confidence, and security — things I’d lost. With their support, I gained the tools
to live on my own, secure a job, and move into my own apartment.” -SafeHouse Graduate.
-SafeHouse Graduate
Success stories like this are made possible by the generosity of corporations like Gap.
This year, Gap Foundation has continued their commitment to SafeHouse not only through a second financial commitment, but through the dedication of their Gap Inc. employee volunteers. This season, they spent an afternoon painting inspirational rocks that are now used in therapy sessions as tactile grounding tools, bringing calm and comfort to women as they focus on healing. Resilience, “Fuerte” (Spanish for “strong”), “Hope”, and “You are Loved” – these are some of the messages that employees shared, and in return, clients have emphasized to our program staff how much these mean to them.
Gap Inc. volunteers also hosted a book drive, filling every shelf in our Hope Center library with stories, wisdom, and imagination. For the women who visit daily, these books help to cultivate a sense of community as they bond with each other over a shared love of stories. Inspired by this donation and the increase in daily visits from clients looking to read and connect, the Hope Center Program Manager has decided to launch the Hope Center’s first-ever reading circle, titled “Sisters Inspiring Sisters to Enjoy Reading,” set to begin in January 2026.
Through every act of giving, Gap Foundation and Gap Inc. have bridged the gaps that too often separate survivors from safety in San Francisco. Due to their trust in our work, we are able to fund the immediate needs of our clients, which can mean emergency hotel stays for women fleeing violence, deposits for new apartments, and furniture that transforms a house into a home. It has also meant more moments of joy – from words of encouragement, to a first-ever reading circle, and from the reminder of the true change that can be brought to action from powerful local corporate partnerships like Gap Foundation’s.
To everyone at Gap Inc. and the Gap Foundation: thank you for walking alongside us, believing in our mission, and for your commitment to bridging gaps in opportunity, equity, and inclusion. Because of this commitment, you have given more women the opportunity to be housed, an equitable chance to heal, and a deeper sense of inclusion in the city they call home, San Francisco.
By Gillian Hughes
