The lack of fresh water available to homeless people in San Francisco during the COVID-19 pandemic constitutes a “human rights abuse,” a community organizer said as the city’s shelter-in-place orders drag into a second year.
Author Archives: Brian Howey
Brian Howey was a staff reporter at the San Francisco Public Press in 2020 and 2021. In 2020, Howey won a Society of Professional Journalists, NorCal Excellence in Journalism Award for his coverage at The San Francisco Public Press of San Francisco’s response to homelessness during the pandemic. He can be reached at BrianWHowey@gmail.com For encrypted email, write to Brianwhowey@protonmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @SteelandBallast.
Posted inCoronavirus, Health, Homelessness
SF to Add Water Outlets in Neighborhoods With Large Homeless Populations
San Francisco plans to expand access to drinking water for people living on the streets by adding permanent taps in three neighborhoods and leaving in place – for now – the temporary taps it installed after COVID-19 hit.
For many homeless residents, water access represents a hurdle between them and a job, a home — even survival. The demand for fresh water has been so great since March that several organizations began buying bottled water for distribution to homeless people at a cost of thousands of dollars.
Posted inCoronavirus, Economy & Business, Health, News
How to Celebrate New Year’s Eve? For Some, by Earning Enough to Eat.
No fireworks, no parties on the beach, no Golden Gate Park light displays. How is a San Franciscan wanting to celebrate the end of this murderous, soul-sucking pandemic year supposed to have any fun?
You could attend any one of numerous live-streamed events, from comedy shows to live music to bell-ringing ceremonies to vaudeville cabaret shows.
Or, for a brief period, there was the opportunity to drop $100 for an in-person, three-course meal complete with burlesque and drag queen show in the Tenderloin. Except that event was canceled …
Posted inCoronavirus, Health, Homelessness
COVID-19 Cases Spike Among Homeless San Franciscans
Coronavirus cases have soared this month among San Francisco’s homeless population and residents of the city’s single-room-occupancy hotels. The city reported 59 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among unhoused people from Dec. 1 to Dec. 18, more than in September, October and November combined.
Posted inHomelessness
S.F. to Stop Leasing New Shelter-in-Place Hotel Rooms
San Francisco will stop acquiring shelter-in-place hotel rooms for the city’s vulnerable residents and essential workers, the Emergency Operations Center confirmed in a statement late Wednesday. The city will continue to use the approximately 2,600 rooms under contract and plans to phase out the program by June 2021, the department said.
Posted inCoronavirus, Health, HIV & AIDS, Homelessness
City Clears Homeless Residents From Notorious Tenderloin Alley
Like most of the homeless residents on Willow Street Tuesday morning, Leif Skorochod was headed for either a city-sanctioned tent camp or the barracks-style homeless shelter at Moscone Convention Center after city workers arrived early that morning and gave them a choice: Accept shelter or leave. Homeless Outreach Team members discussed placement options with tent residents while Public Works crews tossed items into truck beds. At least two residents received hotel rooms because they have underlying health conditions. The rest of those the Public Press spoke to were either headed to Moscone or a sanctioned camp site.
Posted inCity Hall, Coronavirus, Homelessness, Housing, Social Services
Service Providers Warn Budget Cuts Could Amplify Displacement Wave
San Francisco’s housing and homelessness service providers worry that City Hall’s budget decisions will leave them unprepared to face an expected wave of housing displacement. Interviews with staffers at a dozen nonprofits found that calls for assistance have increased by at least 30% and at some organizations by as much as 200% since March when […]
Posted inCoronavirus, Government & Politics, Homelessness, Housing
Homeless Service Providers Ask City for $43 Million to Handle Pandemic Fallout
As San Francisco leaders look for ways to slash spending in the face of a huge budget shortfall, a coalition of homeless service providers is asking for an increase in funding over the next two fiscal years to address an expected surge in demand due to economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. The 30-plus-member Homeless […]
Posted inCoronavirus, Homelessness, Social Services
At Moscone Homeless Shelter, Hazardous Conditions, Inconsistent Coronavirus Testing
As Moscone Center began accepting new homeless residents from street encampments in recent weeks, residents and advocates expressed concerns about safety at the convention center and other group shelter settings. Three residents said COVID-19 testing prior to admittance at Moscone Center is inconsistent, residents don’t reliably wear masks and sanitation is lacking. Bathrooms were particularly problematic, […]
Posted inCity Hall, Coronavirus, Health, Homelessness
S.F. Identifies Sites for Pop-Up COVID-19 Wards in Case of Surge
San Francisco has identified a handful of potential pop-up wards to be used in the event of a coronavirus surge to house nearly 500 COVID-positive patients who do not require hospitalization but who cannot recuperate on their own because of their housing status or medical conditions, the Department of Emergency Management confirmed in a series of emails last week.