Supervisor Hillary Ronen - COVID19 Update 12082020 Newsletter

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December 8, 2020
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Prioritizing Educators for Vaccines, Preventing Street Homelessness, Mental Health SF Launches Street Crisis Response Teams, and More

Dear Neighbors,

It pains me greatly that the City has issued a new stay-at-home order, effective through January 4.

This new stay-at-home order is an urgently needed response to the rapid spread of COVID-19 in San Francisco and the surrounding area. During the last month, local cases have quadrupled, putting us on a path to overflow the Bay Area’s ICU hospital beds if we do not reverse course. Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, and Santa Clara counties and the city of Berkeley have also have also announced stay-at-home orders.

For now, all personal services, outdoor dining, public outdoor playgrounds, outdoor museums, zoos and aquariums, drive-in theaters, and indoor personal training in gyms are closed. Outdoor gyms and outdoor fitness classes are limited to a maximum group size of 12 people at a time, including instructors and participants. Low-contact retail may only operate using curbside drop-off. All other retail, including grocery stores, must reduce capacity to 20%, and all indoor businesses that are open to the public, such as retail stores, must create a metering system to manage and enforce indoor customer capacity. Any and all outdoor gatherings are limited to members of the same household, and only up to a maximum of 12 people.

Although we are all exhausted by this crisis, I truly believe this surge will be the last, as the vaccines are on their way. Let's do our part now, so that a hospital bed is available for anyone who needs it as we stare down the end of this pandemic.

For a full list of limitations and temporary closures visit: https://sf.gov/step-by-step/reopening-san-francisco

In this newsletter, we cover the latest updates on:

Prioritizing Educators for Vaccine Access
Preventing Street Homelessness by Preserving SIP Hotels
Mental Health SF Launches Street Crisis Response Teams
COVID Testing Sites in the Mission, Portola, and Bernal Heights
New Financial Help for Small Businesses
South Van Ness Traffic Safety Improvements
Help Families in Need through HOMEY

My office may not be in City Hall these days, but we are still here for you. We are available by email: ronenstaff@sfgov.org or by phone at 415-554-5144 (leave a message, and we will call you back-- we are checking voicemail frequently). Check for updates on my Twitter and Facebook.

Prioritizing Educators for Vaccine Access

While schools have been closed for nearly nine months now, state officials have failed to prioritize enough resources to support safe school reopening as a part of California’s COVID recovery efforts. As a result, many school districts remain closed with no clear timelines or commitments for reopening in the near future.

I have spoken to countless public-school families who are now forced to decide between leaving their jobs or leaving their children home alone without adult supervision. They are watching their children fall through the cracks and are desperate to have their kids return to school.

In order to reopen schools, we first have to make sure our educators and students are safe. Towards that end, I introduced a resolution urging Governor Newsom to prioritize providing educators access to the COVID-19 vaccines in early 2021.

Under the Governor’s vaccine distribution plan, it is still unclear where educators will fall in the state’s priority ranking. Educators are among our most essential workers. Providing vaccines to all school site personnel will be critical in safely reopening schools and getting our students, families, and society back on track.

I am hosting a hearing on the legislation on Monday, December 14, at 10:00 am. You can watch it on SF Cable Channel 26, 78 or 99, or watch online at www.sfgovtv.org. Check here for meeting information and how to give public comment.

Preventing Street Homelessness by Preserving Shelter-In-Place Hotels

Some welcome news: the City has paused its plan to close Shelter-In-Place (SIP) hotels this year. In the early days of the pandemic, my colleagues and I passed legislation directing the City to acquire thousands of SIP hotel units so that vulnerable people surviving on our streets have a safe place to shelter in place. As a key part of my work to address homelessness in the Mission, we have successfully moved more than 120 unhoused individuals from the streets of the Mission into these life-saving SIP hotels.

In November, the Mayor announced that the City was planning to shut down SIP hotels without a clear plan for rehousing the 2,300 unhoused individuals who depend on them to safely shelter during the pandemic.

With COVID-19 cases surging citywide and across the country, there is no public health rationale to justify closing these critical resources at this time. This would only displace vulnerable individuals back into the streets, making it unsafe for our housed and unhoused neighbors alike.

After a hearing I called together with my colleagues, Supervisors Haney, Walton, and Preston, to question the City’s SIP hotel wind-down plan and some dedicated advocacy by frontline service providers, the City agreed to extend the timeline for these hotel closures.

In order to ensure a sensible and safe transition, we have introduced legislation to prohibit the City from closing SIP hotels unless all hotel residents are successfully rehoused or there is clear indication that FEMA will no longer provide federal emergency funding to finance these hotels.

Mental Health SF Launches Street Crisis Response Teams

The first part of the Mental Health SF program that I created with Supervisor Matt Haney began last Monday. Rather than having police officers trying to address the complex health needs of people experiencing mental health crises on our streets, the new Street Crisis Response Teams will be answering the calls.

Each Street Crisis Response Team consists of a community paramedic, a peer advocate, and a clinical social worker. By March 2021, we will have six mobile teams up and running that will have the capacity to respond to calls 24/7.

Stay tuned for updates on the Mental Health SF Service Center, the Office of Coordinated Care, and the expanded long-term care beds that are being designed now for implementation over the next year.

Once all of these four components of Mental Health SF are up and running, we will have the best system in the nation for addressing the twin crises of mental illness and addiction.

COVID Testing Sites in the Mission, Portola, and Bernal Heights

The Mission

The Mission now has a new testing site at 219 Bartlett, between 23rd and 24th Streets, in the lot behind the Mission Mental Health Clinic. Anyone who is uninsured or a SF Health Network patient can be tested here.

Right now, it offers low-barrier COVID testing, by appointment and to drop-in patients, Monday through Friday: 8:30 am to 11:00 am; and 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm; closed weekends. We are anticipating that flu vaccinations will be available there shortly. Drop-in or call 415-682-1740 to schedule an appointment.

The Portola

NEMS is offering free testing in the Portola for the month of December, Monday-Friday, between 3:00 pm and 4:00 pm at the Imperial Garden Seafood Restaurant parking lot located at 2626 San Bruno Avenue. Call 415-391-9686 to make an appointment or visit www.nems.org.

Bernal Heights

The CityTestSF site at the Alemany Farmers Market is now open. The site will operate five days a week and has the capacity to test as many as 500 people a day, with both walk-through and drive-through tests. Appointments can be scheduled online at sf.gov/gettestedsf , and residents or essential workers without appointments are welcome. Alemany CityTestSF is open Mondays: 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm; Tuesdays - Thursdays 8:30 am to 4:30 pm; and Fridays: 8:30 am to 12:30 pm.

The Farmer’s Market continues to operate on Saturdays. Masks are required.

New Financial Help for Small Businesses

Supervisor Hillary Ronen introducing the SFHELP Loan Program.

Sadly, the resurgent rapid spread of COVID-19 in San Francisco and the surrounding areas has led to new stay-at-home orders for at least a month, and a complete shutdown of outdoor dining. While I am grateful to the Department of Public Health and the city for quick decisive action to slow down this surge, the impact on small businesses throughout the city is devastating.

I am sympathetic to the desperate calls and emails I have received from restaurants that invested their shrinking savings on the Curbside Shared Spaces.

The City has just opened applications for reimbursements of up to $5,000 to help businesses pay for Shared Space improvements. Please use this link to apply early. https://sf.gov/get-help-paying-your-shared-space-improvements

The City has also added $3.2 million expansion to the SFHELP loan program I spearheaded, to create the San Francisco Latino Small Business Fund. Apply ASAP— the deadline to apply is Jan 14, 2021.

The loans can be used to pay for payroll, rent, inventory, equipment, and other operating expenses businesses have as they re-open and recover. They are zero interest loans up to $50,000, with a repayment term of up to six years. There are no loan fees, personal guarantees, or collateral requirements for the borrower.

The Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) will conduct a lottery to identify the businesses invited to formally apply for the loan. Priority will be built into the lottery to small business located in neighborhoods with a large Latino population. Outreach will be conducted in multiple languages including in Spanish to businesses in partnership with community organizations that serve the Latino community.

Small businesses interested in applying for the San Francisco Latino Small Business Fund can visit link.oewd.org/latinofund. Small businesses may also email for inquiries at FondoLatinoSF@medasf.org or call 415-612-2014.

South Van Ness Traffic Safety Improvements

Over the past few months, San Francisco has seen a horrific increase in traffic collisions throughout the city, with awful consequences.

Last week alone, two San Franciscans were struck by cars and killed, and a young man was critically injured (but, thankfully, survived) after being hit in the crosswalk at South Van Ness and 24th Street.

I have been working with SFMTA for some time to make South Van Ness safer. Over the past year, they have responded by restriping crosswalks, daylighting the intersections (meaning, removing parking at the corner to make the crosswalks more visible), and retiming the traffic signals to calm down driving speeds.

As the next step in getting closer to our goal of zero traffic deaths, SFMTA will implement a “road diet” on South Van Ness between 13th Street and Cesar Chavez. In general, this means that there will be two lanes for through travel (one in each direction) and a center two-way left turn lane. It is a quick, low cost, and effective way to reduce speeds, eliminate vehicle conflicts, and most importantly, keep pedestrians safer. Stay tuned for updates.

Help Families in Need Through HOMEY

Guerrer@s De La Ciudad Food Program is a community collaboration started by HOMEY and Faith In Action Bay Area to support hungry families during the COVID-19 pandemic. They are now faithfully serving around 650 people every Saturday with their food program.

Just before Thanksgiving, I spent a morning at HOMEY with Faith In Action volunteers distributing 600 bags of food. The line of Latinx and Chinese residents of the Mission circled down Mission Street and around 18th, 19th and Capp Streets. The need is enormous and HOMEY is doing this every week on a shoestring budget. Please consider donating to this grassroots organization if you can https://donorbox.org/guerrer-s-de-la-ciudad-food-program.

Resources and Announcements

SFMTA Potrero Yard Modernization Project
On Saturday, December 12, from 11 am to noon, the SFMTA will be hosting two community virtual conversations to provide updates about the Potrero Yard Modernization Project.

Event details and materials can be found at SFMTA.com/PotreroYard. English and Spanish speaking attendees will be accommodated at both events (other languages available upon request).

If you are unable to attend this event, you can learn more about the project, subscribe to project updates, or schedule the project team to present at your upcoming community meeting by visiting SFMTA.com/PotreroYard and/or emailing PotreroYard@sfmta.com.

Resources

SFPUC’s Floodwater Grant Webinars
If your property experiences flooding or sewage backing up when it rains, apply for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC)’s Floodwater Grant Program for up to $100,000 reimbursement for your project and assistance throughout the process.

Register at sfwater.org/FloodwaterGrant for a webinar on December 9 (5:30 pm) where they will help determine your eligibility and start your application. Resources to get rain ready at sfwater.org/RainReadySF.

SFMTA Fare Help
When times are tough, even paying for the bus can be a challenge. During times like these, the SFMTA has programs to help get you where you need to go, like Free Muni for Youth, Seniors, and People with Disabilities, the Lifeline and Clipper START reduced fare program.

SFPUC Bill Relief
The SFPUC has extended their Emergency Residential Assistance Bill Relief Program until the end of the year. Their emergency bill relief efforts include:

Emergency Discounts of 15%-35% for Residential Customers on their SFPUC water, sewer and Hetchy Power bills.
Emergency Discounts of 20% for Small Business and Non-Profit customers on their water and sewer bills.
Ongoing long term discounts for low-income water, sewer and Hetchy Power customers.

To read more about eligibility rules and other details, please visit our bill relief webpage: sfwater.org/billrelief.

Essential Worker Ride Home: SF Environment the SFCTA (SF Environment and SF County Transportation Agency) launched a program to help essential workers commuting home late at night and don't have a reliable transit option. Click here for more.

For families who are looking for access to the Internet for distance learning: AT&T is offering an affordable way to stay connected with Internet service for $10/month and expanded eligibility requirements. More details at att.com/access or call (855) 220-5211.

Housing

COVID-19 Eviction and Rent Increase Moratoriums – Emergency tenant protections, including more time to pay your rent, suspension of evictions during the pandemic, and a rent freeze in City-subsidized housing.

Give2SF Housing Stabilization Program – Financial help to pay rent, utilities, and other housing costs if you have been financially impacted by COVID-19.

COVID-19 Homeowner Emergency Loan Program (HELP) – No-payment loans of up to $25,000 to cover HOA dues, property taxes, and lump-sum deferred mortgage payments

General Resources

SF Pit Stop and and Handwashing Stations
SF Food Resources
Help for SF small business owners, workers, and non-profits
Visit the SF Coronavirus Main Page here.
Information for the eviction and rent increase moratorium here.
SF Domestic and family violence resources
SF COVID-19 Data Tracker

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Got an upcoming event or opportunity to include in this newsletter? Email Jennifer.Li-D9@sfgov.org

Our mailing address is:
Hillary Ronen, District 9 Supervisor
San Francisco City Hall
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 244
San Francisco, CA 94102-4689

This email was sent by: City and County of San Francisco
1 Dr Carlton B Goodlett Place, San Francisco, California, 94102 United States

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Supervisor Hillary Ronen - COVID19 Update 12082020 Newsletter

Prioritizing Educators for Vaccines, Preventing Street Homelessness, Mental Health SF Launches Street Crisis Response Teams, and More

Prioritizing Educators for Vaccine Access

Preventing Street Homelessness by Preserving Shelter-In-Place Hotels

Mental Health SF Launches Street Crisis Response Teams

COVID Testing Sites in the Mission, Portola, and Bernal Heights

The Mission

The Portola

Bernal Heights

New Financial Help for Small Businesses

South Van Ness Traffic Safety Improvements

Help Families in Need Through HOMEY

Resources and Announcements

Supervisor Hillary Ronen - COVID19 Update 12082020 Newsletter

Prioritizing Educators for Vaccines, Preventing Street Homelessness, Mental Health SF Launches Street Crisis Response Teams, and More

Prioritizing Educators for Vaccine Access

Preventing Street Homelessness by Preserving Shelter-In-Place Hotels

Mental Health SF Launches Street Crisis Response Teams

COVID Testing Sites in the Mission, Portola, and Bernal Heights

The Mission

The Portola

Bernal Heights

New Financial Help for Small Businesses

South Van Ness Traffic Safety Improvements

Help Families in Need Through HOMEY

Resources and Announcements

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