Why do you avoid the city?
For me the whole tone of the City has changed. I worked for St. Anthony Foundation (A non-profit operated the O.F.M - Order of Friars Minor-Franciscan Order).
I enjoyed my work, I felt like I was making a difference, a direct impact on the lives of Homeless and the at risk of Homeless.
In the 20+Years I worked at SAF, the City began to change. Tech Companies and Real Estate Speulators torn down buildings that were used as residential hotels, pushing people with little or no money on the street. Gangs from Oakland and Richmond pour their filthy drugs like oxy and speed into the old neibhorhood. A lot of the Homeless are addicts or they are mentall ill and self-medicating. The City spent years ignoring these problems.
The IKEA is located in what the City calls Mid-Market. About half way between the Castro District and the East Bay, you can still take ferries to Oakland or AC Transit and of course BART to get to Oakland.
There is one Cable Car Line, the Powell and Market Line that will you Fisherman's Wharf. That area can be a haven for pick pockets and scammers. The open drug selling is begining cut back, legal pot in California has put a serious crimp in street drug sales.
The Prostitutes usually work the same area or near by Union Square, lots lonley men staying the nearby hotels.
I used to able to walk around the Tenderloin (where SAF is located) at lunch time and enjoy the people, now from I've from former co-workers it's better to use the roof top garden for lunch. Once, when I was out and about I met Don Johnson and Cheech Marin, they were filming a cop show in the City. Another time I was able to say hello to Grace Slick.
The current Mayor is more interested in making headlines than actually doing thing. She started a
drop in for the homelss at United Nations Plaza, not far from City Hall, but she did NOT get the results she wanted and shut down the project....never mind the effect of lives of the people who used that drop in.
You used to see guys playing chess with the winners picking their partner when you were walking down Market Street. When they disappeared, I knew things were bad.
San Francisco lost its way when Feinstein, she never met a developer she could no to. Later came Willie Brown, who loved headlines and his redsign for City Hall, which damaged in Loma Preita included a Gold Dome. Money that could have been used for affordable housing and increased health care was instead used by Brown to create what people in the City The Taj-Ma-Willie.
Gavin Newsom tried to make thing better with Care Not Cash, where of instead of give homeless checks for rent, he began to issue a plastic card much like your Visa Card. Each card has a set amount on it. S.N.A.P. (Suppmemental Nutritianal Assistance Program) which can be used at local stores.
Lee and later Breed loved the Tech Boom and made huge accomodations for Tech Companies. In doing so they gave tax breaks to companies and the City continues to lose money.
I have heard time and again, the Homeless should just get a job and things are fixed.
In order to get a job, and you are homeless you a set of clothes appropriate to the position you are interviewing for. You need access to showers and haircuts. You most certainly need a phone number so the person who is interviewing you can call you to tell you that you have job.
There is no simple, easy solution to help the homeless. Access to mental health care, I strongly support the most severely mentally ill be institutionalized. But there also be permanet supportive housing for the non-mentally ill with on sight services.
San Francisco could do so much, but does so little and it makes me sad. I loved the City, I graduated high school in the City. Now, all these years later, its all about bringing in more money, building luxury highrises (one of highrises, The Millennum Tower is both sinking and leaning. Million Dollar apartments with breath taking views leaning and sinking..). That says just about everything that is wrong in City.
Thanks for letting me vent.
sfstandard.com
