Dramatic Rise in Vehicular and Family Homelessness

by Contributing Author

a statement from the Coalition on Homelessness

San Francisco — Despite a marked improvement in housing placements, underlying socioeconomic disparities combined with a lack of significant federal and state investment in affordable housing have driven homeless rates up 7% in San Francisco.  In particular,  the Point in Time Count showed a 94% increase in family homelessness, and a 90% increase in vehicularly housed.  Increased shelter and housing availability has led to a 13% decrease in street homelessness.  

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“We Don’t Have Anywhere Else to Go”: Bernal RV Residents Face Deadline with No Exit Plan

by Contributing Author

by Madeleine Matz

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) recently began enforcing a ban on overnight parking on Bernal Heights Boulevard, endangering the homes of RV dwellers who have parked there for years. Now, the RV residents are protesting their impending eviction.

Two neighborhood residents—Armando Martinez, who lives in an RV on Bernal Heights Boulevard, and Flo Kelly, a traditionally housed neighbor—gathered vehicularly housed residents to give public comment at the March 5 SFMTA board meeting.

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Families in RVs at Risk of Displacement: Urgent Plea for Safe Parking and Housing

by Contributing Author

by Juanita Ramos

On October 24, families residing in RVs on Winston Drive and Buckingham Way converged at the intersection of the two streets at 8:30 a.m. Their assembly, joined by a coalition of service providers, neighbors, and concerned community members, carried a poignant request: They implored the San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) to honor its commitment to provide safe parking sites and permanent housing. This appeal has become even more pressing in light of impending parking restrictions.

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We’re Lower Bottom, Bitches

by Contributing Author

At Wood Street, a Bond No Bulldozer Can Destroy

Freeway

The sun was high, beating down mercilessly on the volunteers and advocates, as if to say, “I’m on their side, and we don’t want you here.” They, in this case, were the entire Oakland Police (OPD) force, and an endless parade of Department of Public Works (DPW) workers under the command of Oakland city administrators Harold Duffy and LaTonda Simmons.

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Locked Out at Golden Gate: San Francisco Empties Another Encampment

by TJ Johnston

About as quickly as it sprouted, a homeless encampment on Golden Gate Avenue dispersed last month. The San Francisco Police Department and multiple City agencies also tasked with moving unhoused people off outdoor areas were on hand.

For a few weeks, about 15 people had a place to lay their heads. They had slept on a vacant parcel that’s approximately 17,000 square feet—slightly larger than an NHL hockey rink—in San Francisco’s Cathedral Hill neighborhood.

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Victims of a Failed System

by Solange Cuba

Coordinated Entry is known to most folks experiencing homelessness in San Francisco. It is a system designed to coordinate and manage the limited resources available to unhoused people in San Francisco, and to prioritize who has access to housing subsidies and who does not. The evaluation is very strict and asks a range of questions about the health, income, and current living situation of those who enroll. 

There are people with jobs who work full time,

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Board Will Vote on Proposed Safe Parking Site at Candlestick Park

by Carlos Wadkins

On Tuesday, October 19, the Board of Supervisors will vote on whether to approve the proposed Vehicle Triage Center (VTC) at the Candlestick Point State Recreation Area in the southeastern corner of San Francisco. The site, funded by Proposition C dollars released in this year’s budget, would be large enough to accommodate up to 155 vehicles with 177 tenants. According to the Department of Housing and Supportive Housing’s (HSH) proposal for the VTC,

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Coffee and Care for RV Dwellers at Stonestown

by Solange Cuba

Due to the pandemic, many people have lost their jobs and their homes, leading many families into unsheltered homelessness. Organizers with the Coalition on Homelessness (COH) have been reaching out to vehicularly housed folks who live on Winston Street and Lake Merced Boulevard next to San Francisco State University, aiming to provide support and permanent solutions to people living in RVs. Vehicularly housed residents told the COH that they face several daily challenges, including a lack of access to drinking water,

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