A Publication of the Coalition on Homelessness
by Jordan Davis
This year, I made a New Year’s resolution: No longer will I go on X, the social network formerly known as Twitter. Many of my peers have done so as well, since the rebranding has been accompanied by so much toxicity. X is starting to resemble an infamous website where trolls stalk transgender and autistic people.
If you have never been homeless without friends or family to house you,
San Francisco’s response to unsheltered homelessness has long been on the radar of local and national media, and it’s pinging more frequently, partly because of a lawsuit that the Coalition on Homelessness has filed against the City.
Last year, a federal judge ruled that the City can not arrest or issue citations to people in homeless encampments without a real and specific offer of shelter while the case is in litigation.
by Jordan Davis
As many of our readers know, this year, the Homelessness Oversight Commission (HOC) was launched last spring to oversee the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH).Three advisory committees— the Local Homeless Coordinating Board, the Shelter Monitoring Committee, and the Shelter Grievance Advisory Committee—were placed under the commission that would appoint members who would report directly to the commission rather than the mayor or board of supervisors.
by Bradley Penner
As mounting pressure from the City of Berkeley brings Eighth and Harrison to its breaking point, one resident sheds light through the cracks
Clarence “OG” Galtney, 65, spent the morning of November 6 bagging possessions and clearing the perimeter of his tent on Harrison Street, a process he says he’s gone through over twenty times in Berkeley over the past ten years.
The sweep Galtney was preparing for had been a long time coming.
Sahra Nawabi (Youth Lead, Alameda County’s Youth Advisory Board) & Hannah Moore (Youth
Services Program Manager, Alameda County Office of Homelessness Coordination
Introduction:
Sahra (pronounced SAH- RO) Nawabi is Alameda County’s Youth Advisory Board (YAB) youth lead. The YAB is a body of youth who have experienced or are currently experiencing homelessness. The group advises on policy, programs and funding in Alameda County’s homeless response system.
by Jordan Davis
In November of 2022, I voted no on the charter amendment to create a Homelessness Oversight Commission in San Francisco. But I am secretly glad it passed, because it is yet another forum where I can criticize the government. It is good that the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing is on the hot seat.
Every meeting, I enjoy reading the director’s report and highlighting various details of programs,
by Bradley Penner
New guidelines would dictate how officials prioritize encampment sweeps in the City of Berkeley
Berkeley officials have drafted an encampment accountability policy that would determine how to prioritize sweeps throughout the city. Known as the “Good Neighbor Guidelines,” the policy asks encampment residents to abide by a series of rules that, if violated, would lead to a range of interventions including the posting of public notices to voluntarily relocate,
by Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area
Q: What is the holding of the Ninth Circuit case Martin v. Boise?
A: In Martin v. Boise, the Ninth Circuit determined that the government cannot arrest poor people for sitting, lying, or sleeping in public when they have no real alternative. The decision does not cover individuals who do have access to appropriate shelter or housing.
Mayor London Breed announced that the City plans to resume enforcing laws governing homelessness in San Francisco in the latest development in a lawsuit against San Francisco for how it conducts operations on street homeless encampments,
In a Medium post on September 25, Mayor Breed said that a district court order from last December has prevented the City from enforcing several of its homelessness ordinances—while allowing street cleaning and clearing blocked sidewalks—but lawyers for the Coalition on Homelessness and seven unhoused plaintiffs dispute that assertion.
by Bradley Penner and Alastair Boone
One couple’s struggle to access resources after an encampment sweep sheds light on one way the coordinated entry process breaks down
On the morning of Monday, August 8, 2023, Shawn and Genea woke up in Mosswood Park to the sound of a track loader rumbling outside their tent. As the loader’s claw trudged through a neighbor’s possessions along the Webster Street fence line,
