Hotel Whitcomb, the Last Resort in SF’s Homeless Hotel Program, is Closing

by TJ Johnston

The program accommodating unhoused San Franciscans during the COVID-19 pandemic is scheduled to end in mid-December with the shuttering of the Hotel Whitcomb, according to the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH).

The Whitcomb has become the last remaining safe harbor for homeless people in its final days of participating in the shelter-in-place (SIP) hotel program. Since the program began during the pandemic’s early days in April 2020, the Whitcomb has been one of 25 sites that provide a place to stay for people who would otherwise have no roof over their heads at the onset of a global public health emergency.

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‘I am Lucky to be Alive’: Poverty and Homelessness in the Wake of the Pandemic

by Contributing Author

by Anonymous

When COVID-19 hit San Francisco, it made matters worse for all of us struggling to live on the streets. The cold, rainy nights with flimsy shelters, no balanced diet, no proper clothing and no money to help even in acquiring the cheapest commodities in the convenience stores are harder than one might imagine.

COVID made the streets so unbearable. At first no one knew what it was.

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Poverty and Homelessness During the COVID-19 Pandemic

by Contributing Author

by Samel Leparan

COVID-19 hit indigenous people and immigrants in San Francisco especially hard, leaving many in poverty and homelessness. Poor and homeless people were especially affected by the many restrictions and safety regulations that were enforced. 

Kate had just traveled to America with a round-trip ticket to visit her uncle James in San Francisco. James had promised to help her get documents and admission to an American university.

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PIT Count 2022: Just What Did the 2020 Response to Homelessness During the Pandemic Solve?

by Detroit Richards
A tent is in the center of the frame. In front of it is what looks like a white dollhouse, laying flat on the ground. The image is in Black and White

San Francisco just released its first point in time (PIT) count of homeless and unsheltered people in the City since before the COVID-19 pandemic. A group of city workers and volunteers scoured the city on February 23, 2022, tallying those most vulnerable members of our community who live without adequate shelter in this prosperous City by the Bay. The findings of the PIT count make for sobering reading.

We are all aware that in 2020 there was an immediate and concerted effort to get unhoused people inside—or at least into ‘safe sleeping’ programs that connected them with services and provided them with a stable place to pitch their tents.

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City Continues to Close Shelter-in-Place Hotels

by Quiver Watts

A ‘Return to Normal’ in Abnormal Times

Wastewater testing is showing that San Francisco is currently experiencing perhaps the biggest COVID-19 surge yet, at the same time as the monkeypox virus is sweeping the country. With mask mandates gone and eviction protections being rolled back, the City seems set on a return to normal in the most abnormal of times. 

Against this backdrop, the City is shutting down shelter-in-place (SIP) hotels,

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Early SF Homeless Numbers Down — Shelter-in-place Hotels, Prop. C Cited as Factors

by TJ Johnston

San Francisco got a sneak peek last month of the results from its 2022 homeless point-in-time count, which showed a drop in some kinds of homelessness. Advocates say directing public money into certain programs played a key role.

The count indicated a significant drop in the number of unsheltered homeless people and chronically homeless people, as well as a large bump in the number of people staying in shelters and transitional housing.

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California Has a New Law on Eviction Protections

by Manuela Tobias

What does it mean for tenants?

Reprinted from CalMatters

When California legislators voted last June to again extend eviction protections, they promised the third time would be the charm.

But the state’s rent relief program, which has struggled to reach the neediest tenants and landlords from the start, continues to lag. As of last week, the state has paid $2.4 billion to about 214,000 households — fewer than half of all who have applied for aid.

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Made Homeless by COVID-19

by Max Milian

When the first case of COVID-19 was reported, no one knew how far it would spread or how dramatically it would impact our lives. No one knew the damage it would do to our health, our finances, our mental wellbeing. As I write this the impact of this pandemic has been felt across borders, affecting everyone regardless of age, sex, religion or even social status. What we used to see as a normal routine became a luxury as our movement was restricted by lockdowns and self-isolations.

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Are We Going to Be Able to Vaccinate Everyone?

by Rupal Ramesh Shah

Trying to protect those who are most vulnerable to COVID-19

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) people experiencing homelessness may have difficulty accessing basic medical services. Hence, the CDC has developed several guidelines to ensure homeless people are prioritized during vaccine implementation. One of them is to work with “continuum of care” programs, which promote community-wide efforts to end homelessness and directly address the needs of unhoused people.

In the city of San Francisco,

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How Housing Choice Vouchers Saved My Family

by Dempsey "Sunbear" Jackson

In 2011, I was homeless and addicted to methamphetamines. That year, I found out that my girlfriend of 10 years, Amy, was pregnant with our son, Marley. We went to Jelani House, a rehabilitation program, to try to prepare for our son’s arrival. But when we showed up, the shelter wouldn’t let me bring my service dog inside. Instead, I had to stay on the street and try to get clean alone while taking care of our dogs,

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