A Publication of the Coalition on Homelessness
by Zach Bollinger
In the final two weeks of June, organizations, nonprofits, activists and concerned citizens assembled at City Hall, largely under the banner of The People’s Budget Coalition, to demand, well, a budget for the people, not a budget for the billionaires, speculators, and landlords. This coalition lobbied for a variety of interests, including funding for arts programs, women’s safety and rights organizations, maintaining Free City College,
by Apple Cronk
The following is a call to action the author gave in a speech in front of San Francisco City Hall on June 9, 2026. It was part of an action against the City’s practices of sweeping people who live on the streets or in vehicles because they have nowhere else to be. This piece had been edited as lightly as possible.
by Sabrina K. Hall
Sabrina Hall in front of San Francisco City Hall at a People’s Budget action on June 18, 2026. Funding for Free City College, the program that ensures residents free tuition, was endangered until supervisors restored funding in last-minute negotiations. Photo by Zach Bollinger.
They want to audit the ambition of the block,
Put a price tag on the pivot,
by Kenyota G.
Living on a fixed income in one of the many Single Room Occupancies (SROs), Senior Assisted Living Units, or in a navigation center can prove challenging. At no time has that challenge become more manifest than recently with passage of H.R. 1—Donald Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Act.” That act contained wording that eliminated the federal government’s responsibility for providing 100% of the costs for CalFresh recipients. As of June 1,
by Malik Washington
How San Francisco reduced visible homelessness while more people are driven into a jail system in crisis
San Francisco wants credit for reducing visible homelessness.
Its own records suggest the city may also need blame for helping fill a jail system now described by a Civil Grand Jury as overcrowded, understaffed, deteriorating, and near a “breaking point.” That is the contradiction at the heart of the city’s current public-safety narrative.
by Street Spirit staff
He was a lifelong advocate advocate for peace, justice and the people whose voices are often left unheard
Terry Messman, the founding editor of Street Spirit, passed away on May 10, 2026 at the age of 74. His family and friends are planning a celebration of life for him later this year. We will share details when a date is confirmed.
photos by Zach Bollinger
As part of a family-friendly event at San Francisco City Hall on June 17, the Coalition on Homelessness hosted an interactive board game with staff from the Supervisors’ offices. The Monopoly-style game illustrates the realities unhoused households and individuals face when navigating the process to secure shelter or housing. One roll of the dice could signify a single step forward, while the next roll could mean two steps backwards.
by Jordan Wasilewski
Lately, as a permanent supportive housing tenant activist who has been in the trenches on and off for ten years, and who has so much institutional knowledge that hasn’t yet been fully shared and, who could write enough evergreen/backlog/retrospective pieces to get this august publication through the Trump administration, I’ve found that we PSH tenants have been in the news a lot, for better or for worse, or for “it’s complicated.”
by Willie Futrelle
Local and national housing advocates protested outside the Le Meridien Hotel in DC, US against the Cicero Institute’s Homelessness Policy Conference and the think tanks’ influence over homelessness policy on June 5.
In Grants Pass v. Johnson, the Supreme Court upheld a city’s ability to arrest people for sleeping outside without available shelter space for the unhoused, allowing for more punitive legislative measures across the nation,
by Lukas Illa
In May, the Mayor’s Office announced a new “Citywide Good Neighbor Policy” that aims to punish homeless and public health nonprofit providers for inadequately responding to neighborhood complaints about streets conditions around their sites.
This new policy applies to all “shelters, transitional housing programs, access points, drop-in centers, permanent supportive housing sites, and (Department of Public Health) client-serving programs.” For providers contracted to run these sites,
