Mimi Silbert is the cofounder and director of Delancey Street, a San Francisco-based self-help residential education center where drug addicts, criminals, and the homeless go to turn their lives around.
Since 1971, more than 14,000 people have successfully been through the Delancey
Street program and are now leading crime-free, drug-free lives in mainstream
society. Residents have learned to read and have acquired skills. They attend
college and are part of the work force. They are raising families, they are
clean, they are sober, and they are reborn. And each and every one of them has
the extraordinary Mimi Silbert to thank for changing their lives.
All of this is done at no cost to the taxpayer or client. The many unique features
of Delancey Street include that they have never accepted government funds nor
do they have any staff. Delancey Street has started over 20 business training
schools which generate income and train the residents in marketable skills.
The psychiatrist Karl Menninger has called Delancey Street "the best and most successful rehabilitation program in the world." There are now five facilities throughout the country: San Francisco, Los Angeles, New Mexico, New York, and North Carolina.
Mimi Silbert is a tireless fighter. She does what she does out of love, commitment and belief in the value of humanity. She has been called the "Mother Teresa of America's down and out." In San Francisco, she is our treasure who has touched and miraculously changed so many lives. We love her and are forever in her debt.
I am proud to join my constituents in thanking and praising Mimi Silbert for
her marvelous achievements, indomitable spirit, and her inexhaustible service
to San Francisco and our nation. As we celebrate her birthday, we will keep
in mind all those who have been reborn through her extraordinary life's work.
Happy Birthday Mimi!