Twitter to open learning center for low-income and homeless in San Francisco next summer

Twitter, the microblogging giant whose headquarters sit on a section of San Francisco’s Market Street that’s not exactly fancy, is set to open a learning center for the homeless next summer.

The learning center, which the company announced in partnership with Compass Family Services last May, will be located across the street from Twitter, at Essex Fox Plaza, 1390 Market Street, and will open next summer, according to a San Francisco Chronicle report. The company is investing $1 million into it.

The Twitter NeighborNest will be a place where Twitter employees will be able to volunteer their time to help teach tech and career skills to the homeless. It will also be a place where children will have space to play and learn while their parents are getting valuable education and help.

Its partner, Compass Family Services, serves 3,500 homeless families in San Francisco and oversees an $8 million annual budget and seven programs. Twitter will host Compass’ holiday party on Dec. 18 as part of this partnership. Compass has traditionally held the party in a venue near Golden Gate Park. Since that location has been often too difficult of a commute for clients living in the Tenderloin, for example, the Twitter-hosted party will likely allow many of them to finally attend.

Twitter executives have been meeting with families, service providers, and other stakeholders over the last several months to discuss ideas about the center’s design.

The new center will also count toward Twitter’s community benefit agreement. As a way to keep companies in San Francisco, the city has allowed certain companies based in the Mid-Market neighborhood to avoid payroll taxes for six years in exchange for agreeing to contribute to the improvement of the neighborhoods around them.

Via The Chronicle