MatchBridge member Chris Black on his way to his new job at BRE Properties

At 17, Chris Black was living on the streets of San Francisco. Today, three years later, he works at a technology company, interns with a real-estate firm, and is pursuing a degree in computer science with aspirations to attend law school. Chris shares how MatchBridge — a youth employment project of United Way, and the San Francisco Department of Children, Youth and their Families — provided him with opportunities that put him on track to a successful future.

United Way: Can you describe how you ended up homeless?

Chris Black: I come from a good family. My mom was an executive for United Airlines, but after 9/11, with most of our money in the stock market, we basically lost everything. My mom had to sell our home and went to live with family in Virginia. I was at a point in my life when I was kind of getting into trouble. So, I stayed on the west coast. Things are tough when you’re sleeping on the streets in San Francisco. It’s not pretty, you know? You’ve got to grow up fast.

United Way: How did you come in contact with MatchBridge?

Chris: I had moved into the Larkin Street Youth Services shelter. A representative at Larkin Street’s job training program, HIRE UP, put me in touch with Mayela (Gutknecht) at MatchBridge. She got me a two month paid internship working for Golden Gate Disposal and Waste Management. I would go out with the garbage collectors in the morning and put up fliers to promote their new summer internship program. I made a couple of bucks, got a little apartment in the Tenderloin, took my G.E.D. and got enrolled in school.

United Way: What was the MatchBridge process like?

Chris: Mayela interviewed me at the Hire Up center, and from there I became a MatchBridge member. They have job bulletins, job fairs; things along those lines. For that first job, MatchBridge called me. They said, ‘Hey listen, we need somebody who can get up at 4:30 in the morning and hand out fliers.’ Given where I was, I had to take what I could get. But all in all, it was a really good experience. The next time I contacted Mayela, I had been enrolled in college for a few months. So I went from being a guy with a general interest in computers and technology to a computer-science major. She knew of a start-up company that was looking to fill a Quality Assurance position. After two interviews, I got the job. That was the cornerstone. Of everything that United Way and MatchBridge have done for me—once I had that corporate experience on my resume, it was like, ‘Okay, now I can do anything.’ That was the door opener.

United Way: What are you doing now?

Chris: I have two jobs: a paid internship at real estate firm, BRE Properties, which I found through MatchBridge; I also found a job on my own at a company that designs software for iTunes. And I’m studying computer science full time at San Francisco City College.

United Way: Your life sounds pretty full! What are your plans for the future?

Chris: Next year I’m going to transfer to either San Francisco State or UCSF. I want to get into an ROTC program, because that would help pay for law school. After law school, I plan to get into politics or civil service, because that way I can enact change — to create more opportunities for people from all walks of life.

United Way: What would you say to someone who is considering supporting United Way?
Chris: United Way and MatchBridge helped me get my first corporate-sector job; that was the job that enabled me to take my career to the next step. MatchBridge has given
me a lot of viable career opportunities that have enabled me to leverage my educational background and pursue my passion. I think that everybody deserves a chance, and community organizations that reach out and try to help young people are a necessity.