Public Press Weekly: All Talk, No Housing

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Dempsey Jackson, Amy Hampton, their 5-year-old son and their two dogs live in a small room at the Knox hotel on Sixth Street off of Market. They have been unable to secure better housing through the Online Navigation and Entry System. Photo by Rob Waters/San Francisco Public Press

If you want the housing crisis to be over and done with/solved/end of story, the political arena may not be the best place to start, according to some editorial powers-that-be. (San Francisco Chronicle). The op-ed page recently had a full-throated condemnation of the gubernatorial hopefuls who, at the last debate, coughed up platitudes about housing but ducked on supporting any specifics — specifically, state Sen. Scott Wiener’s bill to go light on regulation and up the housing supply. The editorial did point out that the candidates were full of ideas on increasing spending on low-income housing.

Hmm. What is happening with that sector here in San Francisco? Recent Public Press stories have highlighted the issues of housing and homelessness.


Pollution Just Won’t Quit

  • Although lead paint was banned 40 years ago, lead poisoning among children is still a major problem in the Bay Area. KALW News environment and health reporters Angela Johnston and Marissa Ortega-Welch spent more than a year collecting data, conducting interviews and tracking down public records to draw attention to this heretofore overlooked issue. They discovered the troubling nexus of childhood lead poisoning and the intractable Bay Area crises of housing, immigration and public health. “Persistent Poison: Lead’s Toxic Legacy in the Bay Area” (KALW Crosscurrents).

  • Toxic emissions control is not in the works for scores of older buses in Muni’s fleet, even though hundreds of new buses that lacked pollution-control devices are being upgraded. “Pollution-Control Program not Upgraded on Scores of SF’s Muni Buses” (Mission Local).

Other Matters, Large and Larger

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Under the new “coordinated entry” model, information on prospective homeless clients is entered into the ONE System. This offers service providers a single portal of robust profiles to speed the process of delivering services and securing shelter or housing. Source: Five-Year Strategic Framework, San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, October 2017

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