Cruel Chop Shop Legislation Slated for Full Board Vote

The Coalition on Homelessness is opposed to proposed amended legislation by District 8 Supervisor Jeff Sheehy, entitled “Bicycle Chop Shops.” Proposed in February, the ordinance was passed out of the Land Use and Transportation Committee and is scheduled for a full vote on October 3rd. This is an ordinance that would amend the Public Works code to prohibit the taking apart or rebuilding of bikes, possessing bike parts, or selling bike parts in public sidewalks,

… READ MORE

Remembering Ruth, longtime Coalition member

In the struggle, there are often hard working dedicated folks working behind the scenes that are essential to moving issues forward, and they are often women. Longtime Coalition on Homelessness family member Ruth Pleaner was one of those. She passed away this past month and left our community with a gaping hole.

The Coalition on Homelessness is a very grassroots, rough and tumble organization. It was started by a group of homeless folks and frontline service providers 30 years ago,

… READ MORE

Charlene: I slept and showered at Facebook. I was homeless. And pregnant.

From the genuinity of my smile, you would never assume I was homeless. At work I’m constantly laughing, talking, and goofing off as if nothing was wrong. But at the end of the day, once the sun sets and everyone disperses to their warm, comfy, homes, I had nowhere to go.

I have never truly belonged anywhere my entire life. Whether it was schools or houses, I found myself jumping from place to place,

… READ MORE

Safe injection sites a step towards harm reduction in SF

“I’ve … We’ve lost a lot a bunch of good people out here, and a lot has gotten way close to passing away,” says Terrence Dallas Stayton, after clearing his tears in his makeshift corner just a few yards from the main entrance to San Francisco City Hall. Dallas, as he prefers to be called,  is well known to Glide’s harm reduction community outreach volunteers who gave him the usual: a bag full of clean syringes,

… READ MORE

Vendor Profile: Phillip Nesbitt

I’m from Manchigo Bay, Jamaica. I am the youngest boy and five sisters and two brothers, but I’m the only one in San Francisco.  I don’t know where they’re at now. In 1985 in my late twenties, I came to Los Angeles to see the world and to get more money. I was in Los Angeles and Long Beach for a couple months, but then came to San Francisco.

I’m 55 years old and I have one son.

… READ MORE

The Monster in the Mission

In 2013, Maximus Real Estate Partners began to plan for a housing development at 1979 Mission St. to replace the current businesses located there including a Walgreens, a Burger King, the Hwa Lei Market and spaces for the community to sit, rest, meet up with one another and sleep. Although the project was halted for a few years due to a legal battle between the real estate company and landowners, Maximus seems to be gearing up for a final showdown to move forward with the project many are referring to as the “Monster in the Mission.”

The nickname was coined by the Plaza 16 Coalition,

… READ MORE

SF Taxi Driver: Why I’m asking you to delete Uber

My name is Ben, and I’ve been a San Francisco Taxi Driver with Veterans Cab since 2004. I love driving a cab in San Francisco. You feel the rhythm and pulse of the city, and as a taxi driver, you interact with the City from the level of the street. You deal with just about everything, from people living precariously in the tenderloin who need a ride, to ferrying fancy folks from places like the Opera and the Getty mansion.

… READ MORE

The Department of Homeland Insecurity

Department of Homeland Security under the Trump administration has taken inhumane actions to discontinue the DACA program. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initially was memorandum issued in June 2012, under the Obama Administration, by Department of Homeland Security which states “DACA provides certain illegal aliens who entered the United States before the age of sixteen a period of deferred action and eligibility to request employment authorization.”

The discontinuance of this program impacts hundreds of thousands children and parents right here in the US.

… READ MORE

Tenants at 285 Turk Rally Against 25% Rent Increase

Tenants of 285 Turk Street gathered on the steps of San Francisco City Hall on Tuesday. They were protesting rent increases levied against them by their new landlord, real estate mogul Neveo Mosser. They were joined by housing activists and Supervisor Jane Kim. The tenants—including single moms, seniors on fixed incomes, and undocumented immigrants—are facing immediate rent increases of five to 25 percent, which will go into effect on October 1st.

Mosser originally bought the building in 2016 and promptly informed the tenants that rents would go up by ten percent.

… READ MORE

Zak Franet: From Street Politics to Public Policy

 

My name is Zak Franet, and I am incredibly excited to be writing for the Street Sheet’s Youth Edition. As a homeless advocate with lived experience, I could not stress the importance more of providing personal testimonials around the issue of homelessness, and as such, applaud the Coalition on Homelessness’s efforts to bring our stories into the light.

I am 23 years old and heavily involved in advocacy and youth empowerment in the City.

… READ MORE