Free City

by Sabrina K. Hall

Sabrina Hall in front of San Francisco City Hall at a People’s Budget action on June 18, 2026. Funding for Free City College, the program that ensures residents free tuition, was endangered until supervisors restored funding in last-minute negotiations. Photo by Zach Bollinger.

They want to audit the ambition of the block,

Put a price tag on the pivot,

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One Meal a Day: California’s Unspoken Food Crisis

by Kenyota G.

Living on a fixed income in one of the many Single Room Occupancies (SROs), Senior Assisted Living Units, or in a navigation center can prove challenging. At no time has that challenge become more manifest than recently with passage of H.R. 1—Donald Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Act.” That act contained wording that eliminated the federal government’s responsibility for providing 100% of the costs for CalFresh recipients. As of June 1,

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The Breaking Point

by Malik Washington

How San Francisco reduced visible homelessness while more people are driven into a jail system in crisis

San Francisco wants credit for reducing visible homelessness.

Its own records suggest the city may also need blame for helping fill a jail system now described by a Civil Grand Jury as overcrowded, understaffed, deteriorating, and near a “breaking point.”  That is the contradiction at the heart of the city’s current public-safety narrative.

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Remembering Terry Messman

by Street Spirit staff

He was a lifelong advocate  advocate for peace, justice and the people whose voices are often left unheard 

Terry Messman, the founding editor of Street Spirit, passed away on May 10, 2026 at the age of 74. His family and friends are planning a celebration of life for him later this year. We will share details when a date is confirmed.

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