A Publication of the Coalition on Homelessness
photos by David Elliot Lewis and Zoey Laird
left to right: Hannah Beazely, Lukas Illa, Couper Orona, Carolyn Goosen, Dean Preston, and Maurice Byrd at the Medicine for Nightmares Bookstore on October 6, 2026. They spoke at a panel on San Francisco’s response to street homelessness.
“Our city is brushing people under the rug like we don’t exist. We exist and we belong somewhere,
by Christin Evans
The November election is nearly here and you should have received your ballot by now if you are registered to vote.
There are three ballot measures to support when you fill out your ballot: Vote YES on Propositions B, C and I. Each of these props will help us expand our City’s affordable housing stock. With rents soaring, we need to spend more of our City money on expanding the number of permanently affordable homes for San Franciscans making less than $90,000 per year.
By Kidest Yigezu
At the October 1 meeting of the Homelessness Oversight Commission, several community members weighed in on a plan to recontract more than $500 million in annual grants and contracts that will affect the homelessness response system, or “reprocurement” as the City calls it. It was the first hearing on the plan since the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) held three “listening sessions” in September.
Among the critiques were the short-notice announcements of the sessions and the expectations placed on service providers.
by Christin Evans
There are four so-called “Charter Reform” ballot measures on the November ballot that we should all oppose: Propositions A, D, E and F. While each measure does something slightly different, they all have the same effect: silencing the voice of everyday San Franciscans at City Hall.
The Clean Up City Hall campaign spent over $5 million from a couple of wealthy billionaires to put Propositions D,
by Eliza Macaluso and Kalevi Kaukonen
Mayor Daniel Lurie’s administration has terminated its contract with the Sixth Street Self-Help Center, forcing the Center to close by December 31, 2026. The closure comes as City leaders attempt to “revitalize” the Sixth Street corridor.
Hospitality House, a nonprofit that has served San Francisco’s housed and unhoused residents since 1967, operates the Sixth Street Self-Help Center and six other programs.
by Joe Wilson
As Hospitality House approaches its 60th year, we reflect on hard-won victories, some difficult losses, and important lessons learned. Friendships and bonds forged in struggle. Champions in our midst. Resilience. Despite the odds, we’re surrounded by ordinary individuals accomplishing extraordinary things, summoning up the best of humanity. Every day. And always, relationships and community matter. People matter.
For nearly 20 years, our Sixth Street Self-Help Center has had at its heart,
by Jordan Wasilewski
I want to share something I learned in high school, a parable from South Asia about the blind men and the elephant. Several blind men touched the elephant in different parts of their body and came back with various different descriptions of the animal, which, although accurate, was incomplete. Together, the blind men could have painted a picture of the elephant and all its multitudes. I am also reminded of a quote by deaf-blind disability advocate and socialist Helen Keller,
The City of San Francisco, at the direction of Mayor Daniel Lurie’s office, is pursuing a “residency requirement” before unhoused folks can receive homeless services. It hasn’t unveiled the plan yet, or had planning meetings around it that are open to the public. The public doesn’t yet know which services or what this would look like, but the intent is obvious: more political scapegoating.
The “magnet theory” political trope is as old as mass homelessness in the U.S.
by Jordan Wasilewski
In June of this year, I participated in a Tenant Empowerment Week, which was organized by the Supportive Housing Providers Network (SHPN). I wrote about my first two days at the event last month, and continue here.
On Wednesday, Day 3, I once again got up early, put on some clothing that could be considered “gothic professional,” printed off the PSH Tenant Bill Of Rights Proposal,
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,
