For half a century, Steve Fields has poured heart, soul, passion and intellect into creating and sustaining a true continuum of community-based care. He’s been called godfather of the residential treatment model, but those words alone don’t capture the depth and breadth of his impact. With fixed principle and single-minded resolve, he has helped tens of thousands of people living with serious mental illness find dignity, stability and sense of purpose.

Steve is Executive Director of Progress Foundation, a nonprofit that operates 19 programs across San Francisco, Sonoma and Napa counties, serving more than 3,000 people a year. The programs are run out of homes tucked into neighborhoods throughout the Bay Area, and together weave an innovative network of care, from short-term triage for people in psychiatric crisis to long-term support for people disabled by mental illness to transitional housing, independent living and specialized programs for seniors and mothers reuniting with children.

The treatment model is consistent and distinctive, emphasizing choice, self-reliance and the therapeutic value of community connection. Care is built on the concept that everyday, normalized experiences, such as meals and chores, help people build skills and healthy relationships.

Steve, you are a force and a visionary. Thank you for sculpting a new path forward.