A Publication of the Coalition on Homelessness
by Jennifer Friedenbach
Mayor London Breed announced plans last month to fund shelter for unhoused San Franciscans. What the mayor did not mention was where that funding would come from. The Coalition on Homelessness supports the plans to replace and continue the announced 594 beds, not just for two years but permanently, and at the same time vehemently opposes that same plan to pay for some of these adult beds by gutting housing for homeless youth and families in Proposition C.
The New Lynchings of the 21st Century
Updated on May 16th to reflect current developments
What does Walgreens carry on its shelves that could be worth a human life? Banko Brown was a young Black trans activist who had been unhoused in San Francisco for a decade. In his volunteer work and community organizing with the Young Women’s Freedom Center, he consistently advocated for basic access to services, and was beloved by his community.
by Andrew Khakali
When Same was a child, they didn’t see any difference between them and their mostly white preschool mates. Like all children, they simply enjoyed the company of other people, and saw them as either nice or mean based on the way that person treated them. How they felt about others had nothing to do with race, who their parents were, how wealthy their family was or anything else.
By Mia Harper
Homelessness and how to end it has been a topic of conversation over the past several years at the state, federal and community levels. However, there has been little conversation on how homelessness and racism are linked. It is time to speak up and call it what it is.
It is so sad that at this time being Black still feels like a crime in this country.
By Martine Khumalo
The intersection of Blackness and homelessness in San Francisco is a result of gaps in the system, and it is said you can’t beat the system. On any given night in America, there are over a half- million people who are homeless. Many suffer from chronic health conditions and have limited access to health care, or no access at all. This is an untenable situation, and it is not only a moral issue but also a public health crisis.
by Belinda Moses
What is racism? Racism is the prejudice, discrimination or antagonism by an individual, community, or institution against a person or people on the basis of their membership of a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized. There is a worldwide belief that some races possess distinct characteristics, abilities or qualities that make them superior to others.
Racism does a lot of damage to both individuals and the community.
by Terry Johnson
What would the future look like if racism were defeated? This question causes my heart to yearn. The belief that different races possess distinct characteristics, abilities or qualities that distinguish them as inferior or superior to one another is what makes this world so divided. We could instead embrace a world that is diverse and colorful, full of different kinds of people with different mindsets and backgrounds.In a bid for racial superiority,
To some this is a lived experience, and to others just a tall tale. Many homeless people I have interacted with on the streets of West Coast cities—either unhoused and unsheltered—have had really painful experiences with the police, or experienced brutality from other people in the neighborhood. Some are not in shelters because they have a reason not to be, like being undocumented. For those living in fear of deportation, avoiding interaction feels like the way to stay unknown and unnoticed,
Invest in housing and mental health services, not criminalization
The CARE Court Governor Newsom is backing is dangerous! Senate Bill 1338 would establish “C.A.R.E. Courts’’ in California. C.A.R.E Court has a $65 million starting cost and claims to combat houselessness and support people with mental health disabilities, but provides no funding for permanent supportive housing or mental health services.
CARE Court can require participants to take medication against their will. If they refuse medication for any reason,
San Francisco just released its first point in time (PIT) count of homeless and unsheltered people in the City since before the COVID-19 pandemic. A group of city workers and volunteers scoured the city on February 23, 2022, tallying those most vulnerable members of our community who live without adequate shelter in this prosperous City by the Bay. The findings of the PIT count make for sobering reading.
We are all aware that in 2020 there was an immediate and concerted effort to get unhoused people inside—or at least into ‘safe sleeping’ programs that connected them with services and provided them with a stable place to pitch their tents.
