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Dear Neighbor,
Over the past few months we were in the throes of budget season, crafting new legislation, addressing constituent concerns on homelessness, street conditions and fire mitigation, and pressing City departments to implement the two significant laws we put in place earlier in the year to address homelessness and street conditions: the Vendor Permit Legislation, and Mental Health SF. All of the efforts of our office during the summer and fall have been laser focused on addressing these pressing issues, and while we are beginning to see some relief in conditions, there is a way to go to tackle these persistent challenges. Meanwhile we want to share with you some of the recent news coming out of our office.
BUDGET WINS
From May through July, as Chair of Budget and Appropriations, I oversaw an intensive budget process. We fought for and won funding for essential services for our residents in District 9, after fears that many critical programs were to be cut by the Mayor’s initial proposal. We were able to negotiate with my colleagues and the Mayor’s office to, for example:
- save funding for food hubs across the city
- increase dedicated shelter beds for D9
- expand street cleaning, andÂ
- ensure funding for programs providing vital community services throughout our district and city-wide.Â
And, in partnership with SFUSD, we funded a two-year pilot for four schools to implement a promising math intervention that has had dramatic results on math and literacy scores where it was initially established at John Muir Elementary.
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Photo above: Supervisor Chan, President Walton, Supervisor Safai, Supervisor Ronen, Mayor Breed, Supervisor Mar, Supervisor Melgar at the budget signing, July 27, 2022.
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STREET CONDITIONS AND THE BART PLAZA
Meanwhile, street conditions and homelessness in the Mission, particularly around the 24th Street Bart Plaza, remain a major concern. Our office has been working around the clock to implement the Vendor Permit legislation that will significantly stem the vending of stolen goods, increase community ambassador presence at the Plaza, and provide the Department of Public Works with the tools to provide permits to vendors and enforce the legislation. Finally after frustrating delays in its implementation, the Vendor Permit law has begun and already we have started to see improvements at the Bart Plaza. There is more to do, but we are encouraged by the progress in the first two weeks of the program.
We continue to work closely with community partners who have been instrumental in identifying the needs and solutions to the crisis at the Plaza. Calle 24 has taken the lead in reaching out to vendors, providing training, advocacy and support to ensure that the permit process is accessible to all legacy vendors. We have worked hand in hand with groups such as the Latino Task Force, MEDA, Good Samaritan, and many others who are guiding concrete community-centered solutions to safety and conditions at the Plaza and we fully support and want to recognize all of their efforts.
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HOMELESSNESS
Homelessness citywide remains one of our City’s biggest crises, and while overall homelessness decreased in San Francisco according to the latest Point In Time Count report, unfortunately our District's unhoused population doubled and the Latinx homeless population throughout the City increased by over 50%. Every day our office answers calls about our unhoused population, and everyday we work with the City departments to address the various encampments in our District, offer resources, mental health placements and shelter. I helped create one of the first school shelters for homeless families at Buena Vista Horace Mann and also authored Mental Health SF as a way to address some of the most pressing issues. And we are always looking for new solutions to address this crisis.
We are also looking forward to Dolores Street Community Services's new Adult Access Point that we expect to open this fall that will provide more opportunities to receive housing referrals and services. Dolores Street's shelter that was closed during the pandemic and previously had space for 53 shelter beds reopened in July, and the Division Street Navigation Center has also begun increasing capacity. We believe these efforts will alleviate some of the conditions, but hope that all City, State, and Federal leaders are watching and heeding our calls to increase resources where they are desperately needed in D9. We continue to work with and advocate the Mayor’s office for increased shelter beds for our District, pushing for more affordable housing, and coordinating with the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH), Healthy Streets Operation Center, SF Homeless Outreach Team, Street Crisis Response Teams, Department of Public Works, and Department of Public Health to tackle homelessness, drug addiction, mental health issues, and street conditions on the daily.
You can refer to this quick guide from HSH for who to call when residents are concerned about a homeless encampment, a related emergency, &/or street conditions.
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CELEBRATING THE OPENING OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING!
We recently celebrated the grand opening of three 100% affordable housing sites in the Mission: Casa Adelante at 2828 16th Street, 2060 Folsom Street and Casa Esperanza in the former Eula Hotel at 3061 16th Street!
- The 2828 16th Street project is a 143 unit site that is home to over 300 community members and includes on-site childcare and a rooftop urban farm for residents.Â
- 2060 Folsom Street is home to 127 new households, including 29 formerly homeless transition-aged youth, who all have access to critical services, including four dedicated community-based organizations on site.
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Photo: Irma, a resident, talks about what it means to live here with her two daughters.
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I am incredibly proud of the work that TNDC and MEDA have done, in collaboration with funders and our City partners, to bring 143 affordable new homes for families in District 9 at Casa Adelante – 2828 16th St. This 100% affordable housing development, that will be home to more than 300 community members and includes on-site childcare and a rooftop urban farm for free produce, is exactly what is needed to keep our working families and residents home in San Francisco.
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- And, on September 22, we celebrated the opening of Case Esperanza at 3061 16th Street, a 25-unit permanent supportive housing site for transitional age youth. My office has been partnering with Homeless and Supportive Housing (HSH) on the project for over a year and a half, beginning with Board funding in 2021. Because this former SRO was recently remodeled and each room has its own bathroom, I believe this presents the best opportunity for a dignified place to heal and recover for homeless youth. I am also pleased that Dolores Street Community Services and Larkin Street Youth Services have been selected to operate the facility, two trusted and well known organizations in this community. I want to thank HSH Director Shireen McSpadden, HSH staff, and all the advocates who fought to make this program a reality.
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These projects were once visions from so many community-based organizations and residents and I am so proud that they have become a reality! This is exactly what is needed to keep our working families in San Francisco.Â
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| Photo: Casa Esperanza at the Eula Hotel. |
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Photo: Supervisor Ronen and Preston speaking at a rally to open the courts.
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Open the Courts. Free our People!
Earlier this month, I stood with justice involved individuals, public defenders, community leaders, and family members to condemn the Court’s practice of continuing cases past statutory trial deadlines causing innocent people to languish in jail for months. Over 550 individuals have statutory trial deadlines that have passed, including over 150 people who remain locked in jail with no end in sight. The Court cannot continue its practice of violating people’s constitutional rights and I will continue to push the Court to deal with this backlog of criminal trials.
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LATINX HERITAGE MONTH
Recognizing the contributions of District 9 constituents! |
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Congratulations Ivan Corado Vega of San Francisco’s Latino Task Force, our District 9 Honoree for Latinx Heritage Month! As the manager of the Latino Task Force, Ivan has overseen and coordinated over 40 orgs who deliver health, food, and education services to our City’s most vulnerable residents. Ivan was raised in the Mission and has dedicated his life’s work to giving back to our youth and entire community— over 25 years of service! Thank you Ivan.
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We celebrated the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts 45th Anniversary in August. Congratulations to the founders, directors, board members (past and present), the fabulous new Director, Dr. Ayala, and all of the dedicated staff and artists who work to make this Center a beacon for art, theater, dance, music and culture in the Mission community.
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The Board of Supervisors recently voted unanimously to grant the Mission Cultural Center landmark status recognizing the vital role the Center plays in the culture and community of District 9 constituents, and residents citywide. MCCLA’s leased building will be going through a major retrofit construction project and will have to move to a temporary alternative space. They need our support and help! To get involved contact: info@missionculturalcenter.org
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Support the Double Play Bar & Grill, historic business in the Mission destroyed by fire
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We were so saddened by the news that the legacy business Double Play Bar & Grill, opened in 1909, this 113 year old establishment in District 9 was devastated by a fire on Sept. 24th. The community has rallied support by setting up a gofundme campaign to raise funds for the rebuilding. Please pitch in, if you can!
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| Photos: The Double Play Bar & Grill before the fire. |
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| Supervisor Ronen at the Double Play in February 2022. |
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Profile of a D9 Resident in SF Senior Beat
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We are hosting an open house meet and greet with me and the D9 staff at Charlie's Deli Cafe on Wednesday October 19 from 4:00 - 6:00 pm. Please stop in to meet us and talk about your questions and concerns, while learning what we are doing to maximize my role to push change through legislation and work with City departments. To participate, please register here.
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As always, you can reach out to our staff if you have any concerns or questions by emailing: ronenstaff@sfgov.org.
We look forward to making more progress in the District this fall and will share news in the November newsletter.
Sincerely, |
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