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Dear D9 Neighbor,
In honor of AAPI Heritage Month, and on the heels of Earth Day this past April, I was thrilled to honor Mei Ling Hui, the unstoppable Community Gardens and Urban Agriculture Program Manager for the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department. Mei Ling is also proudly a long-time District 9 resident. Mei Ling has a long history promoting greening and food security in San Francisco, and is dedicated to creating a vibrant and sustainable urban agriculture community, including District 9’s own Alemany Farm, and over 41 community gardens on City-owned property. This sort of leadership and commitment on the part of the City is worth shouting out. We applaud Rec and Park and especially Mei Ling
for her vision and leadership in creating green spaces with a focus on equity and access to healthy food and outdoor activity.
Also this month, the Mission celebrated its 46th Carnaval with the theme “Honoring Indigenous Roots,” with the amazing and venerable Dr. Rigoberta Menchú as the Grand Marshall. This year the streets were filled with revelry and Mission pride, and was a great boost for vendors and small businesses. Thank you to the organizers who pull this event together every single year. It takes a village to organize such a massive and seamless event, and we are proud of the historic community leadership and vision around Carnaval that is rooted in the Mission District.
The tenor of this wonderful event coincides with improvements we are seeing in the Mission. Our efforts to make street conditions better are paying off even with the additional work we have ahead of us. Read on for this and more news from around the neighborhoods.
As always, feel free to reach out to me or my staff to share concerns and bright spots from the District that you think we should know about.
In community, |
Homelessness & Street Conditions
Tiny Cabins at 1979 Mission
The Tiny Cabins are full! Sixty-eight cabins are now housing seventy-six people (there are a few double cabins to accommodate couples). The first wave of people who were invited into the Tiny Cabin village had been living on the streets within the two- block radius of 16th and Mission Streets. Many of these individuals had previously refused other offers to accept shelter, until now. Tiny Cabins are a dignified form of shelter where people have their own locked rooms with some storage for their belongings, three meals a day, and supportive services and case management. The people who agreed to the cabins are no longer living on the streets in the neighborhood. They are now in safe, clean housing
and getting direct services to support their physical and mental health needs, and support to plan for longer-term permanent supportive housing. We have seen a marked difference in homelessness in the area: there are less people sleeping on the sidewalk, the streets are cleaner and people who have had such acute health challenges are getting much needed resources.
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| | Photo Credit: (Left and bottom) Santiago Lerma. Mission Cabins at 1979 Mission, photo taken on 5/29 showing much cleaner streets on Capp and Mission around the Tiny Cabin community. (Right) Ana Herrera, a view inside the Tiny Cabins village. |
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The 2024 PIT Count
The initial data from the Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) 2024 Point in Time (PIT) Count for San Francisco
was released. Preliminary results show that 13% fewer people were sleeping on the streets than in 2022, the lowest in a decade. There was a modest decrease in unsheltered people (1% since 2022 and 16% decrease since 2109). And while the number of families and people living in their vehicles increased from 2022 by 37%, the number of people staying in shelters increased by 39% since 2019, showing that efforts to increase shelter capacity have had an impact. We are waiting to see the disaggregated data later this summer which will show District 9 homelessness numbers.
We remain concerned about the rise in family homelessness, and as reported in past newsletters, are working with HSH and the Mayor’s office to increase family shelter capacity and get people moving through the system more quickly towards options for permanent supportive housing. We are pleased to share that earlier this month the Mayor’s office announced a plan to take measures to significantly reduce family homelessness.
“Safer Families will provide new emergency shelter and rapid rehousing slots for families, cutting the shelter and rapid rehousing waitlists. Specifically, it will add 115 new emergency hotel shelter slots and 215 new rapid rehousing slots for homeless families. This funding will be part of the Mayor’s new two-year Budget, which she will submit by the beginning of June to the Board of Supervisors for review and approval.”
-- From Mayor Breed's press release on May 15, 2024
I am relieved that we have an ambitious plan to address the emergency of family homelessness that has been impacting children who have been sleeping on the streets. This plan takes bold measures to rapidly expand shelter options and create supportive housing as an exit out of homelessness, and will help us confront the spectrum of needs for those who have been chronically homeless, for newcomers, and for families of Transitional Aged Youth. |
Immigrant Community Leadership and Advocacy
Celebrating the legacy of the immigrant rights movement and legal advocates
I was honored to deliver the Keynote speech at the Immigrant Legal Resource Center’s annual Phillip Burton Immigration & Civil Rights Awards this month. Congratulations to District 9’s own African Advocacy Network for your well-deserved award!
In my 15 years at City Hall, I am proud to have worked alongside our immigrant community to uphold our values as a Sanctuary City with some of the most robust protections and services for immigrants in the country. We have fought back against repeated efforts to scapegoat immigrants both nationally and locally. As Supervisor, I have championed efforts to ensure we have a comprehensive network of resources for immigrants in our community, from legal defense to countless services to address poverty, trauma, and integration into our city. As a city with a population that is more than one-third foreign-born, we know it is critical for immigrants to feel just as San Franciscan as those who were born here. The more invested immigrants are in their communities, the more successful they will be
and by extension, the more successful we will be collectively. For this I am so proud of San Francisco, and of the vast community that continues to work together to defend basic rights for all.
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Photo Credit: Ana Herrera, Supervisor Ronen speaking at the Immigrant Legal Resource Center’s annual Phillip Burton Immigration & Civil Rights Awards, May 23, 2024. |
The City Budget Process
Budget Season, advocating for essential services for our communities.
Budget season is underway at City Hall. The Mayor is releasing her proposed budget this week, and we know that there are going to be tough decisions to make, as the Board of Supervisors deliberates and negotiates a balanced budget. It is no secret we are in a very large deficit year with similar projections for the immediate and medium term, however we must not lose sight of the need to provide essential services and support for the most vulnerable in our City. While I am no longer on the Budget and Appropriations Committee, after five years serving as both a member and Chair, I remain actively engaged with the process and discussions with colleagues about places that can and should be cut and
where we need to guarantee funding is restored for vital community services. I will advocate, as I always have, for a budget that addresses community needs: homelessness, food security, resources for newcomers, programs targeted to support youth, Transitional Aged Youth, and families.
You can see the Budget timeline, including all hearings to take place at the Budget and Appropriations Committee here. All hearings and negotiations will happen throughout June, and advocates are encouraged to come to these hearings to speak up about community priorities and needs. The Board of Supervisors will pass a final budget July 23rd, with the Mayor’s sign off approval on July 31. |
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Justice for Survivors*
Hearing on the Office of Sexual Harassment and Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP)
* This section contains language about sexual assault and sexual harassment
I held a hearing on SHARP
a few weeks ago in the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee, in which we heard from City Departments, victim advocates, and victims who came to bravely speak up about their experiences. The hearing was designed to understand the challenges facing the SHARP office over the past six years, and rather than assign blame to any one individual or department, and to ascertain what is needed to move forward and fix its shortcomings. Based on this hearing, I will be introducing legislation amending the Office of Sexual Harassment and Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) and, most notably, moving it under the newly formed Office of Victim and Witness Rights (OVWR). See article about the issue
here.
On Tuesday this week, the Mayor announced the new OVWR inaugural Director, Ivy Lee. I am excited about this appointment. Ivy’s track record, demonstrated leadership, tenacity, and vision will ensure this office fully meets its critical mandate.
“This office will have one purpose, which is to try to make government work better for survivors.”
-- Ivy Lee at the press conference on May 28th, announcing her appointment to lead the Office of Victim and Witness Rights.
When I partnered with survivors to create the SHARP, we imagined a department that advocated for survivors while they navigate complicated and often unfriendly systems. Under Ivy’s direction and the structure and resources of this new office, I believe that SHARP will soon have the tools to truly flourish.
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Photo Credit: Jackie Prager, Ivy Lee at the announcement of her appointment to the Office of Victim and Witness Rights, May 28, 2024. |
EDUCATION/SF YOUTH
SFUSD Whole School Lesson Study math pilot year-end showcase at the SF MOMA
I was invited to attend the year end showcase of the four-school Whole School Lesson Study and Japan math pilot at San Francisco Unified School District that I have been championing for the past several years. It was so exciting to see so many teachers involved and motivated by this teaching program. The pilot is at the end of its second year and has already shown major gains in student math achievement, with corresponding gains in literacy, for predominantly low-income students of color. These elementary schools, Flynn, John Muir, Malcolm X and Sanchez, are led by visionary Principals and extremely committed teachers. Their hard work, attention to professional development, and intensive and
targeted math instruction, is showing success, so much so that the teaching and learning methods are being spread to additional schools! Special thanks to SF MOMA for hosting the report back, and for all of the teachers, and SFUSD staff for sharing your exemplary work.
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Photo Credit: Hillary Ronen and Mira Carberry, at SFUSD's Whole School Lesson Study Math Pilot's year-end showcase at SF MOMA, with teachers from Flynn, John Muir, Malcom X and Sanchez, May 16, 2024. |
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Supporting Early Childhood Education
My staff had the opportunity this month to visit two innovative family childcare centers in D9. The Modern Education Family Childcare (a Chinese bilingual childcare, in the Portola), and Las Luciérnagas at Project Commotion
(Spanish bilingual center, in the Mission). They both use movement and sensory activities to nurture development and exploration to foster deep early learning. I am so proud to support the early childhood education community who are an essential part of the wellness and early building blocks of learning for SF young ones. To learn more about Early Childhood Education initiatives and advocacy, go here. |
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Photo Credit: Jennifer Ferrigno, the D9 office visiting SF Early Childhood Education centers in the Portola and the Mission, (Left and above left) Modern Education Family Childcare, a child at plan, and Director Hui in front of the edible garden, (Right) Project Commotion kids in the midst of play. |
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GREEN SPACES AND BEAUTIFICATION PROJECTS IN D9
Envisioning a new green space for Treat Avenue & 15th Street
Another inspiring community effort is underway to bring green space to an area of the Mission that has none – Treat Avenue at 15th Street, an unaccepted street that is ideal for a park/watershed project to address rampant flooding and blight on an industrial block. Read more about the project here.
See renderings below of the different options (the two pictured were the most favored at the community celebration event). These are ambitious plans and will require a great deal of fundraising and support, but the ideas are visionary and will contribute not only to providing more outdoor space for residents in this area, but provide much needed climate resilience flood mitigation.
If you are interested in getting involved in this greening project, reach out to: info@greeningprojects.org
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| Photo Credit: greeningprojects.org
, (above) rendering and description of option 1, (below) rendering and description of option 3, the most liked at initial community input meeting/celebration event.
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HONORING D9 SMALL BUSINESSES!
The Jelly Donut! 🍩
This month marked the 20th anniversary of Small Business Week and I was delighted to honor The Jelly Donut
, a small business in the Mission at the corner of 24th and South Van Ness. The Nhul family opened the shop in 1987, a few years after fleeing Cambodia and the wrath of the Khmer Rouge. Their shop was always known as a place of warmth, sweetness and generosity. Today, the second generation of Nhul’s, siblings Kannyka and Victor Nhul, still reflect that sense of community and love with everyone that walks into the shop. You can often find Victor tending to the fryer and Kannyka giving customers a heartfelt welcome as she takes their orders. They know most of their customers by name and never hesitate to help those in need.
We invite you to stop by The Jelly Donut to taste their sweetness for yourselves and congratulate the Nhul family. |
| | Photo Credit: Sheila Chung Hagen & Family Nhul, The Jelly Donut getting honored at City Hall. |
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Spotlight on a D9 Community Organization
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To lift up the amazing work that is happening every day in Bernal, the Mission and the Portola, we are featuring the work of one D9 organization in each newsletter. This month features… |
Commotion, Connection, Community
Project Commotion seeks to create a future driven by confident and compassionate citizens capable of thoughtful decisions, healthy communication, and deep, caring relationships. To accomplish this, Project Commotion combines specialized movement classes with academic enrichment preparing the minds and bodies of youth of all abilities to achieve the greatest possible success at school, at home and beyond.
Project Commotion is a non-profit, movement education center with an adaptable gym space, geared towards youth movement and education. There are three main programs at their center:
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Las Luciérnagas, a bilingual early childhood education that focuses on movement, and play and nurtures developmentally appropriate learning, play, exploration and inclusion for children with special needs.
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Youth Movement Classes, classes for youth 0-16, including play and movement in their adaptable gym, Capoeira, creative movement, and more.
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Schools on the Move, movement residencies at San Francisco early childhood centers and elementary schools, provide weekly movement sessions for children, mentoring/coaching for teachers, workshops for teachers and families, and consultation on educational movement equipment and curriculum.
In the early 2000s, Project Commotion co-founders Chagua Camacho-Olguín and Susan Osterhoff, saw an opportunity to create a movement program that would creatively integrate all different types of learners and abilities, allowing every child to learn at their own pace, and engage collectively with one another in community.
“Chagua had a very clear passion and firm belief that all children deserve the right to quality programs and that all children can succeed with the right support and understanding. Motivated by the realization that stimulating movement can promote healthy development in children of all backgrounds and abilities, Chagua and Susan embarked in studies together to learn more through the Child Development and Family Studies Department at City College of San Francisco."
This academic experience, and their teaching practices in action, helped them co-found this unique organization, Project Commotion. Today it is thriving and serving hundreds of kids on site and in classrooms throughout San Francisco.
For more information on how to support or get involved in this innovative Early Childhood program, go here. You can follow Project Commotion on Instagram here.
Contact for more information:
(Director) susan@projectcommotion.org
(Staff) marion@projectcommotion.org cristina@projectcommotion.org
hannah@projectcommotion.org development@projectcommotion.org
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| Photo Credit: Project Commotion. |
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Other Happenings in D9 and City-wideHere are a few free community events coming up...mark your calendars!!
•• THURSDAY JUNE 20th
Thursday, June 20
5-8p
Cortland
Bernal Business and Arts Alliance is hosting this fun event, with live music outside the library, outside Inclusions in the Vino Rosso parklet, and in-between Black Locket and Vega’s parklet from Art shows and receptions will be held at Inclusions Gallery, the Owl’s Nest Studio (formerly Kingmond Young) where the BBAA will be selling beer and wine (with license). This event will showcase these and other Cortland businesses who have art displayed during the stroll.
If you want to include your art, please email laurie@12smallthings.com the name of your artist(s) and they will list on postcard handouts. If you would like your business space to showcase a local artist’s work for the stroll, also email laurie and they will help facilitate.
Thursday, June 20
5 - 9p
San Bruno Ave. at Burrows
The Portola Neighborhood Association is celebrating the vibrant transformation of San Bruno Avenue with a delightful walking tour. Enjoy the new string lights, discover exciting businesses, admire colorful murals and explore greenhouse and greenway updates. Featuring:
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Happy hour at Portola Pipeline
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The Greenhouse Project community meeting at El Toro Nightclub
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Celebrations for:
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“Bayshore Sunrise” mural by Neil Ballard (funded by the Civic Joy Fund)
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Hillary Ronen Adventure Path by Family Connections Centers (funded by the Low Income Investment Fund, Department of Early Childhood & Irwin Foundation)
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“Mother Nature and Her Gardeners” mural by Charles Dabo (funded by the Community Challenge Grant)
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The Green Between Gate by Dana Albany & Dogfork Lamp Arts + Gabions by Angela Matt (funded by the Community Challenge Grant)
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Portola Lighting Project (funded by Avenue Greenlight and Civic Joy Fund)
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Out the Road Bar opening
•• SATURDAY & SUNDAY, June 29th and 30th
This year marks the 54th year of San Francisco's PRIDE parade and celebration. The theme this year is Beacon of Love
. Every year, the community has gathered on the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall uprising to demonstrate to the world who we are and what we stand for. We have marched to demand our rights and freedoms, and we have marched to honor our dead-–all the while celebrating our lives and loves in an explosion of queer joy and creativity. We hope you will make plans to attend San Francisco Pride this year, whether for your first time ever, or for the first time in a long time. With hard-won LGBTQ freedoms being stripped away, and oppression of our people growing ever more extreme across the globe, we must all come together to demonstrate our resolve to be unapologetically queer. More info
here. |
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