A Publication of the Coalition on Homelessness
A RooflessRadio WeSearch project by Tiny with Leajay Harper, Momii Palapaz, Frankie Carter, Alex DeLeon, Jay Paulino
RoofLessRadioSOMA reporter Sr Asuncion with his bus ticket to Nowhere
“Do you know where the bus station is,” RoofLessRadioSOMA reporter Sr. Ascunsion, laughed nervously, throwing back his wavy black /silver hair as he uncrumpled a small piece of paper he held in his hand ”And do you know where this town is?”
by Malik Washington, Destination Freedom Media Group
A couple weeks ago, Mayor London Breed (San Francisco CA) appeared in a debate alongside a number of other potential mayoral candidates vying for public support. Mayor Breed made comments related to the removal of homeless people from city streets. I perceived her carefully chosen words as a clear warning aimed at the homeless population of San Francisco.
The month of August 2024 will usher in the beginning of a San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) operation which seeks to remove homeless people from areas deemed as public property and relocate them elsewhere.
As of August 1, a critical situation has unfolded for low-income families and individuals living in RVs in District 7 on San Francisco’s west side. The imminent threat of displacement looms large, and without immediate intervention, these residents may face homelessness. These are not abstract statistics: they are our neighbors, people thrust into this precarious situation through no fault of their own.
For over three years, the Coalition on Homelessness and committed allies have been working tirelessly to support these communities.
by Madeleine Matz
In late March, Armando Martinez and other RV residents who had been living outside of Bernal Heights Park were forced to move when a long-dormant parking ban went into effect. The group splintered, with Martinez, Darwin Pena and a Yucatecan couple together relocating first to the Mission, then to the Bayview and finally to the Excelsior District.
The moves have taken a toll.
by CJ Ross
“Where am I taking you? Where are you gonna stay tonight?” It was 2016. I Googled “shelters in San Francisco” on my friend’s phone from the passenger seat with about two hours left until we reached the city.
I never thought I’d return to the city where I was born and raised. As I searched, I expected to find lists of places to sleep in a pinch,
by Jordan Davis
About a year ago, District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston, who represents the majority of permanent supportive housing tenants in San Francisco—including myself—introduced and passed a resolution calling on the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) to fill vacant PSH units. Given that the Supreme Court’s recent decision in the Grants Pass case makes it easier to sweep unhoused individuals, and that Mayor London Breed is now trying to bus homeless people out of town,
This year’s ArtAuction24 (AA24), Transforming Art into Action, is celebrating 35 years of our amazing Street Sheet. This illustrious paper started in a classically organic, only at the Coalition way. Phil Collins had just released a fan favorite, “Another Day in Paradise,” and invited us to table at Shoreline Amphitheatre. The year was 1989. We created a newsletter to give out and made thousands of copies. Concertgoers were not particularly interested in reading literature during a show so we came home with a lot of those newsletters and couldn’t think what to do with them.
by Jeff Musser
There is a unique way that sunlight hits the pavement under a freeway overpass. Or maybe it just appears unique to my eyes. Walking under a multi-lane freeway is a bit like walking through a tunnel. The atmosphere is dark, so your eyes have to adjust to the momentary change in light. But unlike a tunnel, a freeway overpass has gaps. I first saw Angela when I was walking underneath one of those gaps.
by Volker Macke
According to a new British study, people experiencing homelessness have, by the age of 43, an average state of health equivalent to that of an 85-year-old with a home. Common health complaints include heart disease, respiratory issues, organ damage and infections caused by poorly healing wounds. Heat waves can also be as fatal for people sleeping rough as they are for elderly people.
For years,
by Jack Bragen
I live among low-income, disabled people, and I see poor people using high tech every day. This is made possible by means of mass production and innovative ways products can be cheaply manufactured. Where these so-called “low-end” products are concerned, I find high tech to be a boon for poor people who are willing to apply themselves to get used to this gadgetry.
A microcomputer costs only a few hundred dollars.
