Today's Street and Shelter Condition Update - Health Alert !
For Wednesday, December 26th, 2007 - San Francisco, California U.S.A.
[ These are Preliminary Reports based on tips, leads, interviews, research and first hand knowledge and beliefs by Homeless Shelter; Resource Center; SRO's Staff, Residents, Clients, Observers; and various governmental, scholastic and community group reports.
After confirmation from more of your tips and first hand stories, these will become Registered Complaints and forwarded to applicable city, state, federal agencies and community groups for reference and action as needed. ]
Our last San Francisco Winter Shelter Report(s) provided a lot of information we received, mostly about unacceptable Supervisor Conduct and the lack of planning for Christmas Day Breakfast for the homeless guests of St. Mary's Cathederal, a San Francisco InterFaith Winter Shelter Program Site, operated or managed by ECS (Episcopal Community Services) run by a man named Antoine or Antwayn (could not get close enough to read the ID Tag).
It was apparently the City's and the Community's reasonable expectation that Good Meals would be served, as per the Official HSA Flyer which states, "Dinners and Breakfast Provided".
This appears to be a community standard and a reasonable expectation to have decent meals served to our homeless residents, every day, but especially at Christmas time when most of them are away from family and friends.
We take no pleasure in reporting what happened today, with respect to the meals that were served for Breakfast at this Winter Shelter Site at 1111 Gough Street.
Without exception, all of the Church Staff (or Visiting Church Staff) are reported as being very kind, caring and pleasant to all of their homeless guests, that they serve.
Unfortunately, some other ECS, Shelter or InterFaith Program Supervisors, Managers and Staff, for apparent lack of simple, basic training, social skills and lacking any sincere display of 'caring' have actually caused harm (to health and safety) and abuse of the Winter Shelter Guests, and to other ECS Staff and Volunteers, to wit:
NO BREAKFAST SERVED ON CHRISTMAS DAY - NOT EVEN MILK OR COFFEE
Yesterday, on Christmas Day, on the 25th, we did not get Breakfast at the InterFaith Winter Shelter operated by Episcopal Community Services.
We were told one thing, but a day later, we have now figured out that the staff did not even know how to make coffee, which is why we did not even get coffee on Christmas morning. No breakfast, no milk, no juice, no coffee.
On Christmas night, we did get a nice dinner. It was some awesome meat loaf, chicken soup, carrots with nice spices and the Visiting Church Staff sat right down next to us, to share this Christmas evening meal, with us, like a family.
The visiting Church Staff really showed that they cared about us, or at least respected us enough to treat us with dignity and respect.
It set a nice, peaceful tone for the evening having good church staff and some good ECS Staff for a change, like 'Fred', 'Rod' and that new guy Ken. Most all of them, on Christmas Night, were so much better and safer to have on site, than the night before which was shamefully, out of control, on the part of that ECS Supervisor or Manager (Antwayn or Antoine) of the entire Winter Shelter Program.
We're San Franciscans with class. If we have a problem with a co-worker, we talk to them in private, so that respect is maintained for that staff member, by clients and staff.
On Christmas Eve with the Winter Program Manager, it was just miserable because he caused conflicts with his own staff, the clients and a trusted and reasonable member of the Shelter Monitoring Committee and other homeless people that write fair reports to city agencies and community groups.
Anyway, this other ECS Supervisor or Staff guy named 'Rod', was there on the Day After Christmas, and he was so mellow and pleasant to everyone, but firm, which was a good thing for everyone.
Whenever he or the other Supervisor/Staff guy named 'Fred' are on duty, there is peace and a fair degree of mutual respect between staff and staff and clients and staff.
They are not perfect, but, they want harmony and no violence or shouting. They never seem to make the homeless feel 'controlled' and they do not talk down or disrepect us, as a rule or whatever, when watching over the homeless residents. Much better that night than the other rotten nights with the supposed Winter Shelter Program Manager.
Homeless Health Risk Alert ! December 26th, 2007 -
36 Hours Old Dinner Leftovers Served Unheated and Unrefrigerated for Today's Breakfast. Likely Bacteria Growth.
This morning, on the 26th of December, we woke up early. The young ECS Staff/Volunteer Monitor was a little 'harsh' and yelling a little when he said 'Get Up!!' but the night had gone well, so we all looked forward to a nice, wholesome breakfast.
We went to the kitchen area and got some very strong coffee and instead of the breakfast we thought was part of the tax money or donations that were part of the promise stated in the printed official flyers, we were served some sort of leftovers.
Well, it smelled a little funny, so we took a closer look.
We were shocked ! The food was room temperature to the touch and not refrigerated.
A Volunteer or Staff Member under ECS's direction, was serving us, these leftovers that were NOT cold or chilled and were NOT heated, in any way. It was room temperature all the way through.
Theses MEALS appear to have been LEFTOVERS that were prepared/cooked at our dinner, at 6PM, DECEMBER 24th, 2007.
That was about 36 HOURS BEFORE TODAY. LEFTOVERS, APPARENTLY SITTING OUT FOR ALMOST TWO DAYS WITHOUT REFRIGERATION OR AT LEAST FOR SEVERAL HOURS WHICH IS OUTSIDE THE FOOD SAFETY -SAFE ZONE-.
This Text Book Chart Excerpt Shows - Bacteria Growth on Most Foods starts out at about 10,000 cells.
Bacteria Cell Growth DOUBLES approximately - every 20 minutes.
This Chart from another Basic Food Handling Course shows how fast particular types of bacteria grows at body temperature, in milk and broth type environments (gravy).After being left out for let's say, only 2 hours at 'danger zone temperature' or at room or body temperature, 10,000 bacteria would have doubled every twenty minutes, in just 2 hours, they would double six times or 10,000 x 2, six times = 320,000 potential bacterium cells.
In 4 hours, they would have doubled six more times = 20,480,000 total potential bacteria cells present.
After 36 hours, potentially billions of bacterium would have been formed for every 10,000 initial bacteria cells on food.
Exact rate of growth depends on type of food. Starchy foods like potatos, yams and meat grow fast, according to the chart above.
THIS FOOD IS LIKELY TO CAUSE SICKNESS IF ANY BACTERIA WAS PRESENT DUE TO THE LENGTH OF TIME IT HAD BEEN SITTING OUT.
AT THE MINIMUM, HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF TIMES INITIAL GROWTH, AND AT THE WORST (2 DAYS OUT) BILLIONS OF POTENTIALLY HARMFUL BACTERIUM.
SHAME, SHAME, SHAME. Less expensive and safer just to hire the right people and cook the food safely without putting anyone at risk, especially homeless guests who are more likely to have impaired or depleted immune systems that may have even just came out of a hospital procedure, the streets, cold nights with other illnesses, flus and dehydration.
A food borne illness could easily cause preventable and predictable internal infections or loss of bodily fluids and could lead to serious illness or contribute to death, in the case of any major E.Coli or Salmonella Poisoning entering a weak immune system, such as has been documented in numerous cases around the world, with young children and the sick and elderly.
-- END OF INITIAL SUMMARY REPORT --
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