North Beach Citizens is a non-profit organization that utilizes the talents of the North Beach community to innovatively address the needs of its homeless and low-income citizens in an atmosphere of trust, integrity, and respect. North Beach Citizens was started in the spring of 2001 when Francis Ford Coppola brought together a group of residents and merchants in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood to address the rise of homelessness in their neighborhood. After surveying the homeless residents of North Beach, these concerned neighbors envisioned a resource center that homeless and low-income residents could use as a base from which to rebuild their lives and reconnect with their community. North Beach Citizens opened its doors in January 2001, staffed by volunteers. Within one month, North Beach Citizens was working with 50 homeless individuals. Today, North Beach Citizens employs four full-time and one part-time staff members.