Do what’s necessary. Do what’s possible. Innovate for the greater good.
​— Saint Francis Homelessness Challenge
​

​There are people who need places to belong in order to heal and thrive, and places in need of stewardship in order to heal and thrive — SFHC's work  connects the dots between these needs in support of a thriving humanity and planet. 

The BEST places to live are places of:
Belonging ​
Essential Needs ​​
Shared Agreements ​
Teamwork

MISSION & SERVICES

Since SFHC was founded in 2015, we have worked towards our mission to end the crisis conditions of street homelessness by:

1. Providing direct services at encampments (including portapotties, trash removal, mobile sleeping cabins, linkage to service providers, etc.);
2. 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; 
3. Developing and piloting Safe Organized Spaces/Supported Outdoor Shelter (SOS) policy and programming for activating underutilized public/private land with community-integrated transitional villages;
4. Developing a scalable and benefits-friendly model for Resident Stewardship programming and training;
5. Advocating for SOS transitional village pilots in San Francisco, California, and nationwide;
6. 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.
7. Seeking partnerships with funders for SOS pilots in San Francisco, California, New Mexico, and nationwide;
8. Building upon and supporting a local, statewide, & national network of advocates, service providers, policy experts, and government officials;
9. Gathering signatures and conducting outreach for the SOS petition;
10. Developing trauma-informed Resident Stewardship values as a foundation to support healing, wellness, stability, and co-living.

​From ‘move along’, to ‘you belong’.
— SOS Working Group​​

RESIDENT STEWARDSHIP VALUES​

1. YOU BELONG
2. YOUR NEEDS MATTER
3. BE A TEAM PLAYER
4. CONSIDER YOUR IMPACT
5. JUST SAY KNOW IN SUPPORT OF A THRIVING HUMANITY & PLANET
6. STAND UP FOR TRUTH, JUSTICE, SAFETY, & WELL-BEING FOR EVERYONE—INCLUDING YOURSELF!
7. ACCOUNTABILITY FOR ALL—WITH TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE
8. SHINE A LIGHT WITH GRACE
9. THERE'S NO SHAME IN OUR GAME
10. FOLLOW SHARED AGREEMENTS—HONOR THE SPIRIT OF THE LAW​

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SFHC'S GUIDING PRINCIPLES​

1. Do what is necessary and possible to end the crisis conditions of street homelessness.
2. 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.
3. Shine a light with grace—look at harmful behaviors through the lens of unmet needs, confusion, and/or unhealed trauma.
4. Take the side of truth, justice, safety, and wellbeing for everyone—including yourself (not one particular group or person).
5. Agree to disagree when necessary, give credit where it's due, and always work together for the greater good when possible.
6. 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.
7. 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).
8. De-stigmatize the need for healing, off-grid living, interdependence, and dual accountability.  
9. Everyone is a participant, not just a recipient. Share responsibility for solutions, site operations, and stewardship.
10. No matter where you go to sleep tonight, next week, or next year, you belong to the human family, the earth, and the cosmos.​​

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/SFCH (8/2020)

180 JONES/TENDERLOIN PROPOSAL (PRE/POST COVID PANDEMIC)

Najib “Jim” Yaser, volunteer organizer for 180 Jones SOS “Stewardship Village and Community Wellness Hub”

SOS PILOT AT IMPACT HUB: JULY 2017-JULY 2018

ORGANIZING WITH ENCAMPMENT RESIDENTS & VOLUNTEERS

Box City encampment residents (7th Street at Mission Bay) holding up signs with transition goals (Fall 2016)

Encampment Residents in Mission Bay working together with SFHC (Winter 2017)

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.

Encampment residents and SFHC supporters at Cesar Chavez & 101 Encampment (Spring 2016)

Volunteers

SFHC Community Planning Meeting at Brown and Black Social Club (12.16.2016)

Volunteers and participants at Saint Francis Super Bowl Sunday event at SoMa StrEat Food Park (2.7.2016)

Young volunteers at Saint Francis Super Bowl Sunday event at SoMa StrEat Food Park (2.7.2016)

Members of the web design and survey analysis team

Volunteers at the Division Street Overnight Vigil and Portapotty Service

Volunteers at the Saint Francis Homelessness Challenge Showcase at SomArts (1.2.2016)

SFHC leadership, collaborating organizations and supporters, volunteers, and participants at the 1/2016 SOMArts SFHC Showcase.