Saffron Strand now in Albuquerque

After more than a decade helping the homeless re-enter the workforce in Richmond and the East Bay area of California, this year Saffron Strand, Inc. relocated to Albuquerque, New Mexico.

“We really appreciate the dedication and commitment of Saffron Strand board members and volunteers who helped the homeless recover and advance their lives during our time in California,” said Yvonne Nair, founder and CEO of the all-volunteer non-profit organization established in Richmond in 2008.

“Together, over the course of 10 years, we helped a few thousand homeless people. More than 350 of them became members of Saffron Strand and were able to sustain a job for two years or more. By this time last year, all these members had stable housing, so far as we knew. They had come off the streets and gotten back to work for the long term, building or sustaining their own careers.”

Ms. Nair currently is meeting the request of several non-profit organizations and government agencies that have asked for a manual on how to set up a program like Saffron Strand in their own communities. She notes that, based on 10 years of Saffron Strand experience, eight Homeless Workforce Conferences, and research on getting the homeless back into the job market, the Saffron Strand manual should be a unique and useful document.

Also, Ms. Nair is meeting with Albuquerque community members and potential partners to plan the launch of Saffron Strand services in New Mexico.

“In the future,” she says, “Saffron Strand will have both local board members and other board members from other communities across the nation. Over the past decade, many people were inspired by our work in Richmond and the East Bay area and now want to be part of our new beginning. They believe that the Saffron Strand program is the way forward to reduce homeless in their communities and nationwide.”