On November 9, we were joined by 12 donors in the Tenderloin to learn more on why place and community matters and the state of the city’s homeless crisis. It was a privilege to have Don Falk from the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation (TNDC), Tomiquia Moss of Hamilton Families and Jeff Kositsky of the city’s Department of Homelessness & Supportive Housing share with us how they are providing assistance and support to those that are homeless and at-risk youth, adults, and families. We also heard from Doniece Sandoval of Lave Mae on how their showers and toilets on wheels deliver hygiene and help restore dignity among homeless in San Francisco and learned that socks are the number one necessity for people who are homeless through a myth busters jeopardy game.
To learn more about this walking tour or find out about which community we will be visiting next, please contact donorservices@sff.org. We have also put together a list of giving recommendations centered around the Tenderloin and the organizations we visited.
Tomiquia Moss on the roof of Hamilton Families speaking to donors about the organization’s focus to break the cycle of homelessness. The organization aims to help kids connect with who they are and minimize trauma that they may have experienced from poverty and being homeless.
Doniece Sandoval, the founder of Lava Mae, speaks to the importance of a simple shower as a pathway to human dignity and that the individuals using their services may surprise most. “We see teachers that make $65K/year and can’t afford housing needing a shower before work”.
Donald Falk of TNDC kicks off the morning at the former YMCA building by speaking about the vital connections between homelessness and health, the impact of federal withdrawal from housing and homelessness, and while San Francisco is home to many model programs, it is not yet an example of model systems. Donald recently published a piece in the Chronicle about equitable development in the Tenderloin.
What’s the number one necessity for people who are homeless? According to the Downtown Streets Team, it is socks. Learn more about myths and facts about homelessness with their interactive game: https://www.playfactile.com/mythsmashers/play
Donald Falk leads us in a tour of a Single Resident Occupancy (SRO) unit. The TNDC manages 172 studios which are home to a community of formerly homeless single adults.
Tamika Moss of Hamilton Families gives us an overview of the services they provide to families, which make up 30% of the homeless populations, to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty.
