COVID’s Not Over!

by Quiver Watts

When COVID-19 first hit the streets of San Francisco in 2020, the response was dramatic. People with housing began to shelter in place, mutual aid networks sprung up, and tenants went on rent strike. While San Francisco publicly spotlighted its shelter-in-place hotel program, which offered private rooms to about 1,500 unhoused people, many unsheltered San Franciscans were left to fend for themselves as shelters closed down and services shuttered their doors. During the two and a half years that the program operated,

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With a Diagnosis of Schizophrenia, Our Prospects are Tough

by Contributing Author

by Jack Bragen

At 18, I was released from the hospital following a horrible psychotic episode for which I had been jailed and put in several psych wards. When finally released, I was back to some semblance of normality.

When I met with outpatient psychiatrists, they advised me that I should get a job doing the same kind of thing I’d done before I’d had the psychotic episode. It was never suggested that I try to go to college or do any kind of job that entailed brains.

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“What helped me was finally a room where I could be safe, regular meals and a warm bed”: An account on getting sober

by Contributing Author

by Agapezz

For me, it used to be that consuming was more important than eating: I needed it to fall asleep and wake up, to function. To keep from going crazy, I hold on to the high, even if it means ignoring any morality I really wanted to hold on to. Consumption lulls my traumas to sleep and covers them so they don’t wake up. I would like to deal with my negative experiences,

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Political Backlash Delays Opening of Overdose Prevention Center in San Francisco Once Again

by Contributing Author
Woman sitting with caption in background: "Hello there. We're Still Here"

by Seth Katz

At the heart of San Francisco’s ongoing struggle with drug-related issues lies a promising yet elusive solution: the establishment of overdose prevention (ODP) centers. While public health experts and advocates champion these centers as vital tools for mitigating the harms of substance use, attempts at opening them have been marred by political backlash and indecision. The result is a troubling gap between ODPs’ potential benefits and the concrete actions taken to bring them to fruition.

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Avoiding Violence

by Contributing Author
Woman sitting with caption in background: "Hello there. We're Still Here"

by Jack Bragen

At some point in our lives, we are likely to live through physical danger. In some instances, the danger comes from a potential attacker. The typical attacker does this either because they gain some form of sustenance from it, e.g., a mugger who makes a living at it, or someone does this simply because they can. This piece discusses scary situations where there is a threat or a perceived threat of physical attack. 

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In the East Bay: Four Decades of Police Encounters

by Contributing Author

by Jack Bragen

Content warning: This article describes police harassment perpetrated toward me. I acknowledge that this article could reopen old wounds of some past acquaintances and could step on some toes: You know who you are. I am sorry about that. However, this is a story that I need to tell.

As a teen, I was arrested in an incident where I was clueless, and didn’t have any “criminal intent,”

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Advocating for Yourself

by Contributing Author

by Everett May

Most people can appreciate the value in having a good advocate on your side during life’s challenging moments. Almost everybody has experienced a situation when an advocate was either necessary or would have come in handy. In certain circumstances advocates are not hard to find—especially if there is money involved—but that’s not always the case. Sometimes your troubles have nothing to do with money, or they are something money just can’t fix.

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On Meditation and Medication

by Contributing Author

by Jack Bragen

There is something to be said for not being afraid to get your hands dirty, for not being afraid to compete, including when things aren’t friendly, for being on the bottom and clawing your way to the top, and, to sum it up, living in the soup. And the soup might be distasteful, its meat could be foul, and its veggies and noodles could be overdone to the point of mushy.

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CART’s Alternative Response to Policing May Turn into Alternative Policing

by Contributing Author

The Compassionate Alternative Response Team (CART) was envisioned by a broad coalition of homeless people, activists, service providers and community members as a safe and dignified way to respond to complaints from the public about street-based folks. The idea was to replace the current—often traumatic—police response with a compassionate response rooted in meeting the needs of those on the street. 

After years of advocacy, CART was finally funded and set to be implemented,

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The Forgotten Ones: The Plight of Homeless Women in America and an Interview with Marie

by Contributing Author

by Johanna Elattar

It’s March: Women’s History Month. We honor women, their accomplishments, and the ongoing struggle for equality and justice. As we remember all the amazing women, I can’t help but think of the forgotten ones. The old woman sitting on a street corner, begging for change from passers by. The young woman doing sex work just to have a little to eat or a place to sleep. The single mother with her child,

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