A Publication of the Coalition on Homelessness
By Marisa Kendall/CalMatters
Jennielynn Holmes stood in the middle of a make-shift evacuation center when the scope of the crisis hit her.
Surrounded by thousands of people that had just fled the Tubbs Fire that burned through Santa Rosa in 2017, Holmes realized many of these people would soon be added to the area’s already extensive caseload of unhoused clients.
“This is the group of people (that) is one crisis away from entering homelessness,” thought Holmes,
story and photo by Hollie Garrett
A Pit Stop toilet in downtown San Francisco. Photo by Hollie Garrett.
Disclosure: Hollie Garrett works as a manager for San Francisco’s Pit Stop program.
San Francisco’s Pit Stop program is a public restroom program that also provides used needle receptacles and dog waste bags. The program has become a critical component in addressing public sanitation and a safer environment for both the city’s homeless and local residents.
by Neil K. R. Sehgal and Ashwini Sehgal
Legislators who are descendants of slaveholders are significantly wealthier than members of Congress without slaveholder ancestry, new research has found.
The legacy of slavery in America remains a divisive issue, with sharp political divides.
Some argue that slavery still contributes to modern economic inequalities. Others believe that its effects have largely faded.
by Lukas Illa
On December 10, for the first time in its history, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors overturned a decision passed by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority (SFMTA) Board of Directors that would have banned oversized vehicles citywide.
The move prevented the ban from taking effect. It would have targeted streets in the Lake Merced area after vehicle-dwelling San Franciscans were swept from the area earlier this year.
by River Beck
On December 4, a diverse coalition of housing advocates in San Francisco succeeded in toppling a series of obstacles facing a 42-unit housing project for transitional-age youth in the city’s South of Market neighborhood. The permanent supportive housing (PSH) project, which will support LGBTQ+ young adults, is a critical step towards solutions desperately needed to avoid chronic homelessness.
The intergenerational and multi-racial bloc of residents,
by Julian Highsmith
San Francisco took a monumental step forward in addressing its homelessness crisis this week as the Board of Supervisors approved new legislation on a 10-0 vote to extend the duration of rapid rehousing subsidies from two to five years. This landmark decision promises greater stability for families at risk of returning to homelessness by providing longer-term financial support, ensuring they have the time and resources necessary to transition into permanent housing.
by Jack Bragen
Where I live it is expected—if not outright required—that tenants do not bring strangers into the building. This precaution adds to our safety, and it helps the owners of the building prevent mishaps, such as fire or flooding. Damage means money spent. But from the tenants’ perspective, damage to the building or to innocent bystanders could bring bigger consequences: eviction leading to displacement to the street or worse.
story and photo by Hollie Garrett
I can remember the empty feeling of being disconnected from society while I was in prison. Every day it was a pressing issue to get on the pay phone. Not knowing if we would get out the cell, if there was going to be another lock down, if the phone line was going to be extra long, or if someone was even going to answer the call.
By Jack Walker
Imagine two single parents raising toddlers in DC. One has an annual salary of $65,000, while the other earns $11,000 a year by working part-time. Their financial situations seem quite different; the parent paid more has much more money at their disposal, right?
Financial analysts say not necessarily. These Washingtonians likely have similar amounts to spend each month, and not because one uses their dollars more judiciously.
by Jack Bragen
When I was young, in my 20s, I took pride in being able to get letters to the editor published. For a young adult with severe psychiatric illness, a letter to the editor in a paper is pretty good, but I wanted more. I really wanted to become a writer. Occasionally I submitted stories to publications, and considering the level of the writing I produced back then, I stood little or no chance of getting something accepted.
