Homelessness Archives - Page 10 of 28 - San Francisco Public Press

During the pandemic, San Francisco has housed about 2,200 homeless residents in shelter-in-place hotels, including the Buena Vista Inn at Lombard and Gough streets.

Supervisors Divided on Plan to Extend Shelter-in-Place Hotels

by Nuala Bishari December 11, 2020December 11, 2020

Some city supervisors are pushing to continue using hotel rooms occupied by vulnerable homeless residents during the pandemic for a second cohort after current room residents are moved into other housing. Proponents say that despite a possible loss of federal emergency funds, discontinuing the program too soon would leave thousands unsheltered during the health emergency.

Stephanie, 57, lost her housing two years ago and was sleeping in a tent in the Tenderloin as of June. Like all the unhoused people photographed here, she was eventually relocated to a shelter-in-place hotel room. Close to half the residents of those hotel rooms are African American, according to an assessment by the city that only covered about half the hotel population.

City Hall, Coronavirus, Homelessness

Shelter-in-Place Hotel Wind-Down Plan Lacks Adequate Data, Strategy on Race

by Nuala Bishari December 9, 2020December 9, 2020

Though roughly three-fourths of the assessed residents of San Francisco’s shelter-in-place hotels are minorities, the city has no plan to assure that those people get safe landing spots in proportion to their race as it prepares to wind down the program.

Of particular concern for advocates is the priority list used to determine how to allocate housing to those experiencing homelessness. This system, called coordinated entry, does not take into account race when determining who is most in need of housing, despite the predominance of African Americans among hotel residents, service providers say.

“Civic” Podcast, Homelessness, Housing

Regional Homelessness Activism Group Turns 15

by Laura Wenus December 2, 2020December 2, 2020

In 2005, a coalition of advocacy groups working on homelessness formed a coalition to collaborate across cities and states and advance national policy. They called it WRAP, the Western Regional Advocacy Project. Its director, Paul Boden, joined “Civic” to look back on 15 years of organizing and ensuring that people experiencing homelessness themselves inform research and policy.

The Adante Hotel is currently operating as a shelter-in-place hotel run by Five Keys. San Francisco's Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing plans to end the shelter-in-place hotel program, but that process was paused in response to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases.

Coronavirus, Homelessness, Housing

Workers in Shelter-in-Place Hotels Face Unemployment, Uncertain Future

by Nuala Bishari November 23, 2020November 23, 2020

As the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing scrambles to find placements for the more than 2,300 residents of its shelter-in-place hotels, little attention has been paid to the people who work at those sites. Nonprofit organizations that run the hotels are working diligently not just to identify exits for residents, but to keep their […]

Tolbert unbuckles Supreme’s car seat as she prepares to go grocery shopping in San Francisco. She places him in a baby carrier on her chest for a more comfortable shopping experience. On this trip, Tolbert was loading up on food and household supplies for the month, so she can limit her trips during the pandemic. She enjoys being a stay-at-home mom and watching her son grow. “I never expected to be a mother,” Tolbert said. “But here he is, right Papa?” she said to Supreme.

“Civic” Podcast, Coronavirus, Homelessness, Housing

S.F. Vehicle Dwellers’ Living Situations Diverge During Pandemic

by Laura Wenus November 19, 2020November 23, 2020

Photojournalist Yesica Prado has been documenting the lives of people living in their cars, vans, RVs and campers — including, at times, turning the lens on herself as she shelters in place in her own RV. This week, Prado expanded the series with story updates and new images showing how the lives of two people featured in earlier photo essays have changed during the pandemic.

On a Sunday morning, Nelson walks three miles roundtrip between the tow yard where he keeps his car parked and the Tenderloin neighborhood, following a routine that involves picking up his breakfast at St. Anthony’s Dining Room. He passes people who have picked up meals and are eating them while sitting in chairs placed on the street by St. Anthony’s. The chairs are spaced six feet apart for social distancing to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. After the coronavirus pandemic began, service providers applied safety restrictions. No more open showers or restrooms. No more public seating to charge devices. No more dining rooms. Rather than claiming a chair on the street, Nelson prefers bringing his take-out food back to his car, and enjoys it in privacy.

Coronavirus, Driving Home: Surviving the Housing Crisis, Homelessness, Housing

Pandemic Makes Ride-Hailing Gig Untenable for S.F. Man Living in His Car

by Yesica Prado November 19, 2020July 25, 2025

During the pandemic, parking enforcement has been lax, and the 72-hour rule that forced Gregory Nelson to park in a new spot every few days is suspended. He found peace and stability staying in one spot — his version of sheltering in place — like millions of Americans. But working from home was not possible for him. Every week he tried to drive for Lyft, Nelson grappled with out-of-pocket expenses to use the ride-hailing app: car rental fees, tolls, gas and the occasional car wash. Within weeks of the shelter-in-place order, Nelson could no longer afford driving.

Gregory Nelson brushes his fingers across the hood of his vehicle, smudging the ashes that have settled on it in early September. “Look at all this dust,” Nelson said, raising his blackened fingers. “I just washed my car yesterday. Now, it’s on everything again. You cannot have anything nice out here.” On Sept. 9, some 14,000 firefighters were battling 28 major wildfires across California. And while the containment of August’s lightning fires seemed imminent, several new wildfires ignited and were fanned by strong gusty winds. Since the beginning of the year, more than 8,500 wildfires have burned over 4.1 million acres in California. To date, the total number of deaths due to wildfires statewide is 31, and nearly 10,500 structures have been destroyed. Thousands of wildfire evacuees are living in emergency shelters and inside their vehicles.

Coronavirus, Driving Home: Surviving the Housing Crisis, Homelessness, Housing

Photo Essay — Pandemic Makes Ride-Hailing Gig Untenable for S.F. Man Living in His Car

by Yesica Prado November 19, 2020September 20, 2021

Earlier this year, the San Francisco Public Press featured Gregory Nelson in “Driving Home: Surviving the Housing Crisis,” a photojournalism project by Yesica Prado documenting the experiences of people living in vehicles in the Bay Area. Prado followed up with Nelson to find out how his life has changed during the pandemic.

Homeless advocates have pressed San Francisco's Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing to keep eviction protections for shelter residents, in fear that without them, many will end up on the streets.

Government & Politics, Homelessness

City Reverses Shelter Eviction Policy, Extends Protections to Hotel Residents

by Nuala Bishari November 19, 2020November 23, 2020

San Francisco officials said they intend to reverse a policy change that would have left homeless shelter residents with fewer protections from eviction than they had before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The policy would have eliminated decades-old rules and endangered the rights of shelter residents and unhoused people citywide, increasing their risk of being pushed onto the street amid a coronavirus surge, advocates said.

On Wednesday, one day before advocates prepared to hold a protest initially billed as a “die-in” outside the Moscone Center South homeless shelter, the city reversed its decision.

Tantay Tolbert changes her son’s clothes on the dining room table in her new apartment. In March, the Homeless Prenatal Program in San Francisco offered her a hotel room for 90 days, and this became her first step into stable housing. After the hotel room, she transitioned into subsidized housing. “They looked out for me during the time of my pregnancy,” Tolbert said. “They gave us vouchers and made sure we had something to eat. It was catered food every day. It was blessed.” On June 16, Hamilton Families gave Tolbert the keys to her new apartment. “On Tupac’s birthday. It’s a Black holiday,” she said. A time to celebrate.

Coronavirus, Driving Home: Surviving the Housing Crisis, Homelessness, Housing

From an RV to Four Walls and a Pantry: One New Mom’s Story

by Yesica Prado November 18, 2020November 21, 2020

In a dimly lit living room, Tantay Tolbert reaches for a warm bottle of milk on the glass coffee table. Her month-old baby, Supreme Samuel Lloyd-Vaughn, softly cries in her arms. She caresses his black curls as she tilts the bottle into his mouth. “You were hungry, my baby?” Tolbert asks with a smile. “You eat a lot, baby.” It’s an ordinary day for Tolbert — comforting Supreme and dressing him in cute clothes. And yet, what seems ordinary now represents dramatic change and newfound stability.

Tantay Tolbert poses for a portrait with her son Supreme inside her 1977 Chevrolet Impala in front of her apartment in Richmond. She is hoping to get $10,000 when she sells this classic vehicle. Since the pandemic started, Tolbert and her partner have increased their car sales. “People are buying equity, and they can get to where they need to go,” she said. Tolbert says she has used some of her unemployment benefits to buy cars at auctions. She and her partner fix up the cars and sell them to people — some of whom are using their own unemployment benefits to pay for the vehicles. “We’ve been doing it since I was 21. I’m 38 now. We can do this with our eyes closed,” Tolbert said confidently. “This has been the whole solid foundation.”

Coronavirus, Driving Home: Surviving the Housing Crisis, Homelessness, Housing

Photo Essay — From an RV to Four Walls and a Pantry: One New Mom’s Story

by Yesica Prado November 18, 2020November 18, 2020

Earlier this year, the San Francisco Public Press featured Tantay Tolbert in “Driving Home: Surviving the Housing Crisis,” a photojournalism project by Yesica Prado documenting the experiences of people living in vehicles in the Bay Area. Prado followed up with Tolbert to find out how her life has changed in recent months.

Category: Homelessness

Supervisors Divided on Plan to Extend Shelter-in-Place Hotels

Shelter-in-Place Hotel Wind-Down Plan Lacks Adequate Data, Strategy on Race

Regional Homelessness Activism Group Turns 15

Workers in Shelter-in-Place Hotels Face Unemployment, Uncertain Future

S.F. Vehicle Dwellers’ Living Situations Diverge During Pandemic

Pandemic Makes Ride-Hailing Gig Untenable for S.F. Man Living in His Car

Photo Essay — Pandemic Makes Ride-Hailing Gig Untenable for S.F. Man Living in His Car

City Reverses Shelter Eviction Policy, Extends Protections to Hotel Residents

From an RV to Four Walls and a Pantry: One New Mom’s Story

Photo Essay — From an RV to Four Walls and a Pantry: One New Mom’s Story

Sections

About Us