The group of San Francisco city departments tasked with tackling street homelessness has been blasted by two city panels in the last month.

The Healthy Streets Operation Center (HSOC) gave progress reports at the request of the Police Commission and the Local Homeless Coordinating Board at the bodies’ meetings on August 7 and August 20, respectively.

After HSOC representatives gave presentations to both boards, the lead agencies of HSOC — the Police Department and Department of Public Works — were scrupulously questioned on just how successful they’ve been on their mission. 

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by Meghan “ Roadkill” Johnson

Unhoused people are constantly being stereotyped and discriminated against all over the nation, usually by people that have never had to sleep on the street or seek shelter, ever. San Francisco is no exception. 

It has become a common practice amongst housed people to repeat misinformation about unhoused people for one simple reason: they know nothing about the obstacles these people face on a daily basis.

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by Sam Lew

On August 22, over 100 health care workers, community members, and public health advocates showed up to the Behavioral Health Center’s Adult Residential Facility (ARF) to protest the displacement of those who are mentally ill from the facility. 

The ARF is a board and care facility that houses the City’s most vulnerable clients who have serious and persistent mental illnesses and cannot live independently. Residents of the ARF may be unable to prepare their own food,

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by Jennifer Friedenbach

Handouts are nice

Organizing is nicer

Unity is preferred

Solidarity is required

I am nothing without us

No person can be excluded

God will not craft justice

It will take all of us fighting together

Social justice cannot wait

All of us are 

Hurt when one of us are suffering

Unless we want blood on our hands

Many of us must take action

And do what is necessary

Nothing can stop us

Rising up

Instilling hope

Getting what is ours

Housing for all peoples

Treatment on demand

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by AF

In the building I live in we have critters and roaches, and sometimes the bathrooms are kinda messed up with feces and cigarette butts, toilet paper all around and left on the floor. Usually the building is inspected once every year, but recently they’ve been doing it every month just to harass us. I want these conditions to improve because it is inhumane how people live with these conditions. We have pest control come but they just treat the rooms,

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An Interview with Leslie Dreyer

by Johnna Gadomski and Ella-Rose Kessler

“All good art is political! There is none that isn’t. And the ones that try hard not to be political are political by saying, ‘We love the status quo,’” – Toni Morrison (1931-2019), Rest in Power.

         The world of artistic activism embraces the political nature of art, leveraging art to inspire thoughtful conversations,

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by Tracey Mixon

The San Francisco Chronicle recently published a list of Frequently Asked Questions about homeless families in San Francisco. This was the question. “How many families are homeless, and what’s being done to help them?”

The Chronicle’s reply? “The 2019 one-night homeless count found 201 families (612 people), a count similar to the 2017 one-night count of 190 families (601 persons). That means 8% of the total counted homeless population is made up of families.

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by Darnell Boyd

Why are the police writing tickets and taking tents when there aren’t enough shelter beds and apartments to put people in? The tent takers are exposing the homeless folks to the elements. We all know what happens when unhoused people are exposed to cold air, cold rain, and a hot sun: they get sick and have to go to the emergency room. Those who are elderly will not survive that long out there,

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