835 Turk Dilemma Raises Questions

by Contributing Author

by Jordan Wasilewski

In May, Mission Local broke the story that 835 Turk St., a new permanent supportive housing complex that I vocally supported in early 2022 will have to undergo extensive repairs which will require tenants to (supposedly) temporarily move out. The article, which has been the only to cover this story so far, focused heavily on how tenants rightfully distrust the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) to ensure  a just transition and a right of return once the building’s rehab is completed.

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In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cashless

by Contributing Author

by Justice

Cashless society can be harmful to low-income and homeless people. It makes basic needs more inaccessible, increases surveillance and gives government and private companies more control over people. As society moves in an increasingly technologically dependent direction, people are relying on cashless payments for convenience and ease. But this current wave of invisible currency, which stands in the shadow as the pandemic’s primary use, becomes a gaping hole when it comes to homeless and low-income people of the city.

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For Disabled People, Things Will Get Ugly Under “Big, Beautiful” Act 

by Contributing Author

by Jack Bragen

Donald Trump just signed his big bill. It isn’t a “beautiful bill.” It is a crime against the American middle class and poor. And we are in a war of misinformation—but that’s beside the point. This will impact me as a disabled writer, and it won’t be “beautiful” at all.

I am at the bottom, and I can attest from that perspective to all of the power-hungry politicians who want in on the political and monetary pie.

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D5 Supervisor Wants a Shelter in Each District, But Where’s the Housing?

by Contributing Author

by Jordan Wasilewski

I am no fan of my new supervisor, Bilal Mahmood, whom I think cares more for his wealthier constituents in his district than Tenderloin residents. He just proposed legislation that affirms my viewpoint.  

In May, he introduced an ordinance that would require the City to approve new health and homeless facilities in each supervisorial district by June 30, 2026. Those facilities would include new homeless shelters,

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When a Doctor’s Exam is Part of a Cosmic Test

by Contributing Author

by Jack Bragen

Recently, I went to see a doctor in my new neighborhood, one where most of the population is high-income. When I got to the waiting room, I happened to spot a couple of people who are likely on Medicare as I am. It was comforting to realize that I would not stand out as the only economic misfit. 

Everyone seems to be ahead of me in life and can handle a faster pace than I can.

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A Day in the Life of a Psychiatric Patient

by Contributing Author

by Jack Bragen

The treatment system has always been a “frenemy” to me as a mental health treatment recipient. I need these services, partly because of how the socioeconomic part of our infrastructure functions. I could not live without having money from Social Security, and having my medical care and psychiatric treatment paid for. In a “utopian” society, this might not be the case, but unfortunately we don’t live in Utopia. 

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Sober Living in Permanent Supportive Housing: How Exactly Does That Work?

by Contributing Author

by Jordan Wasilewski

In springtime of 2025, the conversation around sober and recovery housing continues from San Francisco to Sacramento. Matt Haney’s Assembly Bill 255 allows cities and counties to set aside up to 25% of state homelessness funds for sober living quarters. The set-aside is not required: It’s merely an ask for permission to allocate funding for up to 25% of permanent supportive housing units of funds for sober living,

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WRAP Hits a Milestone: 20 Years of Unhoused People Fighting for Dignity and Respect

by Contributing Author

by the Western Regional Advocacy Project

When the Western Regional Advocacy Project (WRAP) says “we,” we literally mean every single group and person that built and sustained our community organization for the past 20 years!

In 2005, representatives from seven organizations along the West Coast began strategizing around how to address the root causes of homelessness, starting with the actual day-to-day realities people experience in the streets.

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An Alternative Pilot Proposal: Evidence-based, Effective SF Street Response

by Contributing Author

“Their tactics, what they’re trying to do, they’re just using force. I think they can turn it down a notch, not be so forceful. 

They come up and tell us we’re detained right off the bat. 

Then they dig into our pockets and put everything on the ground. Then if they find drugs or anything, they take us to jail. We’ll get out in a couple days. 

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Bullies Seek Pleasure in Causing Pain to Others

by Contributing Author

by Jack Bragen

Once, violence toward me was a normal fact of life. In my youth, I was seen as smaller, thus an easy target. At 60, I don’t stand out any longer as a person toward whom to be violent, but this attitude of total disrespect of a major, fundamental boundary still affects me. Yet, I need to say two things about normalizing violence. My neighborhood in Martinez normalized violence toward others in general,

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