A Publication of the Coalition on Homelessness
No New SF Jail Coalition
July 2019 communiqué
After the 2015 victory in stopping a new jail from being built, the No New SF Jail Coalition worked alongside city players to try to bring down the jail population in order to close the jail at 850 Bryant without constructing or reopening any jails. While there have been several policy changes, programmatic expansions, and some creation of new resources these have not resulted in a decrease in the jail numbers.
by Armando Del Toro Garcia
I appreciate that we have a hot weather protocol for homelessness, even in famously foggy San Francisco, but the alert notice published by the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) describing this hot weather protocol made me ask myself some questions. While all of the steps they describe taking in the alert are appropriate, I can’t help but feel underwhelmed by the scale of the response given the severity of our homelessness crisis.
by Jay Rice
It’s always complicated to participate in San Francisco Pride. Against the background of disproportionate LGBTQIA+ homelessness in San Francisco, a supposed “queer mecca,” and the corporate- and cop- washing of a movement rooted in riots and resistance, we carefully considered declining the offer to appear on the main stage.
The event itself celebrated politicians who have terrible and oppressive policy histories that are counter to queer liberation,
This is a guide of many amazing organizations working to close the detention centers, abolition ICE and CBP, paying bail for families currently being held in the camps, offering free legal support to detainees, supporting the survival of queer and trans asylum seekers, and so much more that is needed to support immigrant communities. Please consider donating to these groups or offering your volunteer services.
Diversidad Sin Fronteras
Venmo @dsf2019 // Donate online: https://www.facebook.com/diversidadsinfronteraz/
Diversidad Sin Fronteras es un colectivo de liderazgo,
by Sam Lew
For the past seven months, coalitions have been engaging in budget justice work to make the City’s $12.2 billion dollar budget one that is for the people, by the people. These coalitions — the Budget Justice Coalition, the Our City Our Home Coalition, and the Homeless Emergency Service Providers Association — fought for funding for the City’s most marginalized populations, including seniors and people with disabilities, people experiencing homelessness, and working class youth and families.
by Anisha Tammana
On Tuesday, June 25, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the construction of a 200 bed navigation center in the Embarcadero, rebuffing an attempt by neighboring wealthy homeowners to prevent the expansion of shelter for their poor and homeless neighbors.
The fight for any kind of shelter is often long, and comes with a heavy history of opposition. Back in April the Port Commission voted unanimously to approve the proposed SAFE Navigation Center on the Embarcadero.
Reprinted from Street Spirit
By Alastair Boone
I could describe Eastern Span in two ways. I could tell you that it is a noir novel set in 2013-14 Oakland about a gig-economy sleuth named Pug, on a meandering hunt to find a friend who has mysteriously disappeared. Along the way, he stumbles upon a housing conspiracy wrought by the kind of evil developers that we all suspect exist,
by Anisha Tammana
Supervisors Ronen and Haney recently introduced new mental health legislation after a long history of criticism of what has often been called a broken system. Mental Health SF will be on the ballot in November 2019, and proposes a radical shift to the system, attempting to support underserved populations in San Francisco by providing easier access to mental health care, substance use treatment, and medications.
If passed,
by Percy Langston
Here’s a brief overview of some of the milestones (and setbacks) in transgender rights in 2019, and why they matter:
New York City and New Jersey offer gender-neutral birth certificates
January 1, 2019
and February 1, 2019
What it is:
Laws enabling residents to amend their birth certificates with a gender-neutral designation took effect in New York City on January 1 and the state of New Jersey on February 1.
By Raina “Scar” Hunter
The donut shop on Castro Street was open 24 hours. The hungry, the curious and the cold found themselves there in the ‘80s, before technology and the impersonal took over. Male hustlers and their sophisticated sugar daddies, winos who drank beer, and runaways in shock from the mean streets found a friendly smile — perhaps a free donut — from a well-meaning neighbor in the donut shop we called home.
