A Publication of the Coalition on Homelessness
by Haley Summerfield
James Scoville was an artist whose life was shaped by a deep appreciation for color, creativity and learning. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he ran a coastal art photography studio in Bodega Bay. He later worked as a chef and was a member of the California Culinary Academy before returning more fully to his artistic practice after retirement.
by Shakema Straker
The following is an excerpt from “We Belong Here,” a newly released report from the Coalition on Homelessness. The full report can be found on cohsf.org.
San Francisco’s parks belong to everyone. That is not just an aspiration, it is the explicit mission of the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department (SFRPD): “to provide enriching recreational activities, maintain beautiful parks and open spaces,
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.
photos by Zach Bollinger
On the same day that Mayor Daniel Lurie’s office announced “record-low number of tent encampments and large vehicles on San Francisco streets,” advocates for homeless people gathered on the steps of City Hall to demand more services and an end to criminalization.
Three organizations, including the Coalition on Homelessness (COH), which publishes Street Sheet, hosted the rally on June 9 to protest what they call a futile and cruel response to homelessness.
Some 250 people gathered inside North Light Court at San Francisco City Hall on May 12 to deliver about 1,500 postcards to Mayor Daniel Lurie, urging him to restore $100 million in proposed cuts to the upcoming City budget, including LGBTQ+, HIV and homeless services, among others.
The cards were strung together and held by members of the People’s Budget Coalition, who chanted and marched in procession up the stairs to the doors of Lurie’s office,
Nancy McCombs, born in Dallas, Texas, September 11, 1947, died on March 5, 2026 in San Rafael following a fall in December that resulted in a traumatic brain injury. She was 78, and survived by her partner, Kenton Lai.
Nancy served as an SSI attorney. She assisted the disenfranchised to access Supplemental Security Income, which the federal government is supposed to provide to citizens who are disabled and unable to support themselves with jobs.
story and photos by Shakema Straker
Pancakes in the Park in San Francisco celebrated its 20th anniversary. Since 2006, members of the unhoused community gather every week for brunch at Golden Gate Park.
The smell reaches you before anything else. Warm batter on a hot griddle, drifting through the eucalyptus and fog of Golden Gate Park on a Tuesday morning. On March 17, near the Children’s Playground,
Homelessness affects all of us, whether we have housing or not, but of course it hurts those living without homes worst of all. Having thousands of people without housing, without sanitation, without privacy, living outside and having thousands more in shelter in a small city like San Francisco is a humanitarian crisis. Unlike many crises, this one is a crisis that is man-made through poor policy decisions, and lack of corrective action. This crisis does have true solutions.
by Cathleen Williams
All of the material things that belong to Stephanie Arnold Williams fit on two small shelves in her dwelling place on the sidewalk of East Sixth Street in Los Angeles. She lives here under an airy, white tent; she is building a sleeping platform next door. Stephanie has set up this tiny oasis, clean and cool, outside the sturdy cement block building that houses LA Community Action Network (LA CAN) in the heart of Skid Row.
This transcript of the Street Speak podcast was edited for brevity and clarity. Listen to this episode in its entirety at streetsheet.org/street-speak-podcast.
We welcome Apple Cronk along with her partner, Josh Donohoe, who are co-plaintiffs in the Coalition on Homelessness’s lawsuit against the City of San Francisco for their practices in encampment sweeps and the destruction of property belonging to unsheltered residents. That case was recently resolved and signed by Mayor Daniel Lurie on Friday,
