A Publication of the Coalition on Homelessness
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 Anonymous
San Francisco has long been a city where technological change arrives before the rest of the country. The latest transformation is artificial intelligence. AI is creating enormous wealth and attracting investment, but it is also beginning to change the labor market in ways that could have profound consequences for housing and homelessness.
The central question is no longer simply whether artificial intelligence will eliminate jobs. The more important question is: What happens to people when their jobs disappear faster than they can find new ones—and when housing remains unaffordable?
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,
By Veera Vehkasalo
Content about helping people experiencing poverty and homelessness is trending on social media. But is that a good thing?
“I feel like a horrible mom.” A young woman with a stroller wrapped in blankets is crying in the video. They are standing in front of a store on a street in Minnesota, US. It is winter. There is a one-year-old child in the stroller,
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 Nicole Sheree Rowland
If only I had access to the actual statistics; however, from my living experience, an enormous percentage of people come to prison and find out they caught some kind of communicable disease. OK, the prison is now obligated to treat them, that’s all. One would believe treatment to entail education, ha ha!
So how many people are in and out of jail being told what diseases they have contracted,
by Haley Summerfield
James Scoville was an artist whose life was shaped by a deep appreciation for color, creativity and learning. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he ran a coastal art photography studio in Bodega Bay. He later worked as a chef and was a member of the California Culinary Academy before returning more fully to his artistic practice after retirement.
By Kalevi Kaukonen
Tammy Manzanilla. Courtesy photo via Facebook.
On April 8, 2026, Tammy Manzanilla was arrested for public intoxication and transported to the Marin County Jail. Three days later, after Manzanilla was transferred to a county-owned hospital, she died as a result of medical neglect while she was in custody, her family alleged in a wrongful death and civil rights lawsuit last month.
At around 1:30 p.m.,
