There are people who need places to belong, and there are places that need stewardship — SFHC's work connects the dots between these needs in support of a thriving humanity and planet.
RESIDENT STEWARDSHIP VALUES
- YOU BELONG
- YOUR NEEDS MATTER
- BE A TEAM PLAYER
- CONSIDER YOUR IMPACT
- JUST SAY KNOW IN SUPPORT OF A THRIVING HUMANITY & PLANET
- STAND UP FOR TRUTH, JUSTICE, SAFETY, & WELL-BEING FOR EVERYONE—INCLUDING YOURSELF!
- ACCOUNTABILITY FOR ALL—WITH TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE
- SHINE A LIGHT WITH GRACE
- THERE'S NO SHAME IN OUR GAME
- FOLLOW SHARED AGREEMENTS—HONOR THE SPIRIT OF THE LAW
The BEST places to live are places of BELONGING, ESSENTIAL NEEDS, SHARED AGREEMENTS and TEAMWORK
SFHC'S GUIDING PRINCIPLES
- Do what's necessary and possible to end the crisis conditions of street homelessness.
- Secure sleep, secure storage, food and water access, privacy, sanitation, garbage disposal, and a place to belong in community are basic human needs that should be met for all human beings ASAP.
- Shine a light with grace—look at harmful behaviors through the lens of unmet needs, confusion, and/or unhealed trauma.
- Take the side of truth, justice, safety, and wellbeing for everyone—including yourself (not one particular group or person).
- Agree to disagree when necessary, give credit where it's due, and always work together for the greater good when possible.
- Living in community is challenging—whether you live in an encampment, SRO, group housing, or condo; Shared agreements and systems of accountability and participation make it easier.
- Aim to support individual healing and transition in the least restrictive and most autonomous setting possible—with baselines for wellness (including safety, health, and privacy).
- De-stigmatize the need for healing, off-grid living, interdependence, and dual accountability.
- Everyone is a participant, not just a recipient. Share responsibility for solutions, site operations, and stewardship.
- No matter where you go to sleep tonight, next week, or next year, you belong to the human family, the earth, and the cosmos.
SFHC MISSION & SERVICES
Since SFHC was founded in 2015, we have worked towards our mission to end the crisis conditions of street homelessness by:
- Providing direct services at encampments (including portapotties, trash removal, mobile sleeping cabins, linkage to service providers, etc.);
- Organizing with local, regional, and state-level stakeholders to develop actionable solutions, including currently/formerly unsheltered residents, impacted neighbors, service/advocacy organizations, and government officials;
- Developing and piloting Safe Organized Spaces/Supported Outdoor Shelter (SOS) policy and programming for activating underutilized public/private land with community-integrated transitional villages;
- Developing a scalable and benefits-friendly model for Resident Stewardship programming and training;
- Advocating for SOS transitional village pilots in San Francisco, California, and nationwide;
- Updating the SOS policy and operations toolkit for cities experiencing a shelter shortage crisis and working with the City of Santa Fe to develop Supported Outdoor Shelter interventions.
- Seeking partnerships with funders for SOS pilots in San Francisco, California, New Mexico, and nationwide;
- Building upon and supporting a local, statewide, & national network of advocates, service providers, policy experts, and government officials;
- Gathering signatures and conducting outreach for the SOS petition;
- Developing trauma-informed Resident Stewardship values as a foundation to support healing, wellness, stability, and co-living.
180 JONES/TENDERLOIN PROPOSAL (PRE/POST COVID PANDEMIC)
SOS PILOT AT IMPACT HUB: JULY 2017-JULY 2018
ORGANIZING WITH ENCAMPMENT RESIDENTS & VOLUNTEERS
Box City displaced on January 6th 2017: Avery, an unhoused resident who was part of the Box City community, talks about his experience at Box City and what is means that it was disbanded.
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Encampment residents and SFHC supporters at Cesar Chavez & 101 Encampment (Spring 2016)
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FOUNDER/DIRECTOR: AMY FARAH WEISS
SF Chronicle Editorial: "A better approach to homeless encampments" by AFW/SFHC (10/2016)
SF Examiner Opinion Piece: “Addressing SF’s anticipated shelter service gaps with Safe Organized Spaces” by AFW/SFHC (3/2019)
SF Chronicle Editorial: " With an extra $492 million to spend, S.F. needs a plan to end street homelessness" by AFW/SFHC (8/2020)
SF Examiner Opinion Piece: “Addressing SF’s anticipated shelter service gaps with Safe Organized Spaces” by AFW/SFHC (3/2019)
SF Chronicle Editorial: " With an extra $492 million to spend, S.F. needs a plan to end street homelessness" by AFW/SFHC (8/2020)
Volunteers
SFHC leadership, collaborating organizations and supporters, volunteers, and participants at the 1/2016 SOMArts SFHC Showcase.