Welcome to our Blog @ Blogger.com !
This Web Blog is operated solely by homeless & formerly homeless residents of San Francisco. It's moderated by the anonymous volunteer moderators of The SFHomeless Yahoo! Group.
Our goal is to give homeless residents a safe place for them to 'speak up' with a unified 'voice' and ways for them to freeely exchange information and share experiences about their lives with access to homeless and housing resources that they need,
WHAT WE DO TO HELP HOMELESS RESIDENTS STAY SAFE
We support all homeless residents by publishing your comments, tips and register your concerns, issues and complaints to expose any person, place or thing that causes you any loss of dignity, respect, security, rights or physical, mental or financial injury while homeless in San Francisco
We enable our homeless community to have a voice at the tables where community decisions are made that affect their daily life. We show them the positive results of taking action to improve the quality of their lives by helping them to expose and call public attention to all of the various issues, people, places and things that negatively impact their lives, while homeless in San Francisco. Permanent changes only comes about by the partipation of all of the members of our community.
As independent residents with common needs and goals, we all strive to help our homeless community to become well informed about issues that affect them.
All homeless residents are encouraged to speak up and participate in community decision making processes.
If noone shows up at public meetings, then only a few people end up making decisions by themselves that are often a mistake. Whenever homeless residents participate their voices are heard which makes all of the difference.
Public meetings on neighborhood safety, housing, shelter, SRO's, physical and mental health groups, long term planning for homeless resdients, all take place throughout each month.
Your continued participation and voice at these community meetings have great influence on the outcomesof the decisions made at those meetings & hearings.
All kinds of homeless and housing related public work groups have great impacts upon our community planning and the public & private funding of programs that directly and indirectly affect our entire community, including the homeless residents that have a voice, that needs to be heard every day.
WANT TO REALLY HELP THE HOMELESS ? HERE'S THREE EASY STEPS ...
1. Raise Shelter & SRO Living Standards and implement Staff Hiring Standards
2. Insure they have communications, transportation and laundry access while indigent.
3. Implement City Goals to provide safe, affordable, adequate permanent housing.
If you take the time to listen to our City's homeless, the you will understand what's 'really' going on inside the shelter & housing systems, here. And you will soon figure out that homeless people often know more about their basic needs than some community decisions makers that do not walk in their shoes every day..
IT'S ALL ABOUT DIGNITY, RESPECT & SAFE, AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Whatever homeless residents perceive to be a hinderance in their path to obtaining safe, affordable, 'permanent' housing. Obstacles they encouter include people, processes and 'systems' that deny them the dignity, respect and security they deserve.
Every day, homeless people and families struggle on the streets and inside city funded shelters, to maintain their self-respect, dignity and security. These are the issues presented on all of our independent web sites, groups and blogs.
WE COLLECT AND SHARE INFORMATION FROM ALL KINDS OF SOURCES
Most of the information, complaints and tips we receive come from individuals who live and work on the streets and inside the shelters, SRO's, non-profits, businesses and government agencies in San Francisco.
We also gather and share official and unofficial information from other community groups, government sources and educational institutions. We also help keep our community informed about 'what's happening' with the poor and homeless around the country and around the world.
We do all of this so we can learn freely, so we can learn and grow in ways that enable us all to make better decisions and discover new ways of solving recurring problems.
Our subscribers, members and volunteers collect & share things, like:
- Tips on abuse, corruption & neglect in homeless/housing related facilities.
- Anonymous, registered complaints that are forwarded to agencies and media.
- Life stories about being homeless in San Francisco with photos and videos.
- Official and unoffical hunger and homeless census statistics, reports & audits.
- SF City housing & homeless plans, policies, government budgets & contracts.
- Quality of life databases to rate shelter sonditions & document fraud and abuse.
- Pending legislation and info on court cases involving civil & human rights.
- Access to community groups and official SF Committees, Task Forces & Boards
- Advice & resource lists for residents that are new, elderly, ill, poor or homeless.
- Space to upload photos, videos and evidence of abuse, neglect and fraud.
HERE'S SOME REAL LIFE EXAMPLES OF HOMELESS & HOUSING ISSUES
CURRENTLY BEING DISCUSSED INSIDE SAN FRANCISCO'S
HOMELESS COMMUNITY
CURRENTLY BEING DISCUSSED INSIDE SAN FRANCISCO'S
HOMELESS COMMUNITY
- LARGE STAFFING BUDGETS, YET NON-REPAIR OF FACILITY HEALTH HAZARDS.
- TOO MANY BEDS LEFT EMPTY EACH NIGHT. WITHOUT REDUCING FUNDING.
- MANY UNQUALIFIED & UNTRAINED SHELTER STAFF. HIRING OF RELATIVES.
- RUDE & ABUSIVE STAFF INSIDE SHELTERS AND AT RESOURCE CENTERS.
- LACK OF STANDARD DRUG/VIOLENCE FREE HIRING POLICIES AT SHELTERS.
- LACK OF UNIFORM SHELTER, RESOURCE CENTER AND SRO STANDARDS.
- LONG TERM LAX ENFORCEMENT OF CONTRACTS, HEALTH & SAFETY CODES
- MEALS, NUTRITION, SAFETY AND BASIC RESOURCES THAT ARE LACKING.
- THEFT & MISUSE OF MONEY, FOOD STORES, DONATIONS & CITY PROPERTY.
- MISLEADING AND NON-EXISTENT PROGRAMS, FACILITIES AND RESOURCES.
- VIOLENCE, ASSAULT & CRIME INSIDE SHELTERS & AT RESOURCE CENTERS.
- INADEQUATE OVERSIGHT, ACCOUNTABILITY OF RESOURCES.
- SLEEP DEPRIVATION BY LOUD STAFF & CLIENTS INTERRUPTING SLEEP.
- LACK OF PROPER CALORIES & NUTRITION IN SHELTER MEALS.
- ANYONE WITH TB CARD CAN AND DO ENTER SHELTERS - HARMFULU POLICY.
- RECENTLY RELEASED FELONS HIRED - HIGH LOSS, ABUSE & RISK FACTORS.
- INFLAMMATORY ANTI-HOMELESS MEDIA COVERAGE OF HOMELESS ISSUES.
- POLITICAL GAMES WITH HOUSING WAIT LISTS - DISPLACEMENT OF ELDERLY.
- FAVORITISM AND NEPOTISM INSIDE CITY HOMELESS & HOUSING SERVICES.
HERE ARE SOME EXCERPTS TAKEN FROM ALL KINDS OF HOMELESS COMMUNITY EMAIL, CONVERSATIONS, PUBLIC DOCUMENTS, MEETINGS, GROUP COMMENTS, TIPS, ET CETERA:
INSTEAD OF 'WINDFALL CORPORATE PROFITS', SOME NON-PROFITS PREFER TO ENLARGE STAFFING EXPENSES INSTEAD OF 'FIXING' FACILITIES, ETC.
In some shelters, the toilets go unrepaired for weeks and months at a time. The walls are covered with mold for months and there's bad ventilation that makes it hard to breath. Yet, those same shelter seem to have lots of money spent on staff salaries and upper management.'s unethical and often illegal use of stuff that belongs to the residents and to the City. Financed by tax payer dollars and private donations.
.
They can't seem to be able to put soap and toilet paper into dispensers on a regular, consistent basis, but they can take donated wide screen TV's home for our own use... and hire lots of unqualified friends and family members to work at our shelters and resource centers....
Can't afford to replace a 12 year old washers and dryers for the clients or wash an indigent homeless person's clothes on site, but they can wash their brand new SUV's and Cadillacs, right out in front of the shelter...
(well, actually, homeless clients or other staff members wash their cars for them because they're too busy at the front desk eating food stolen from the kitchen that belong to the clients ...)
When homeless people rightfully complain, they are often etaliated against. The City keeps 'shutting down' spaces for us, instead of enforcing the local laws and state & federal codes against the individuals that break them.
Our laws and contract requirements were written to protect the elderly, the disabled, the mentally ill, our veterans and other indigent and 'working poor' people and families that are homeless. Every time
to buy Holiday Meals with ... meals that the Staff and Supervisors ate... but the clients never got a bite of ....
[ Note: More photos of this nasty 'black water' leak that runs right into the Next Door Shelter's basement cafeteria & other unhealthy things at our shelters are shown
at our SFHomeless Yahoo! Group web site - you can see them all by clicking here ]
at our SFHomeless Yahoo! Group web site - you can see them all by clicking here ]
And some of them have gotten pretty fat off of this City's 'homeless and housing' systems, for about 10 or 20 years now. They have new houses. New condos and new cars...
Yet, the so called 'chronic' homeless... the ones that have been here for years and years now... HAVE SEEN IT ALL! Their impression is that Shelters and SRO's are unsafe, but getting better at some sites. But, with gang members and bad landlords running some hotels that bilk money from everyone and harm our community, we cannot trust this City or our 'caretakers' until they start doing their job better.
And they told us, all of these old time homeless people (and some working on staff at our shelters and resource centers right now) all about it... going back for about 20 years now .... and they are STILL WITHOUT SAFE AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
TOO MANY HOMELESS PEOPLE ARE STILL PART OF A 'CAPTIVE SHELTER SYSTEM' BECAUSE SOME SHELTER MANAGEMENT AND SOME CITY EMPLOYEES FAILED TO PROTECT THE HOMELESS AND THE TAX PAYERS FROM THE CHEATERS....
TRANSPORTATION ISSUES - JUMPING HOOPS FOR TOKENS
WHO'S ZOOMIN WHO, ANYWAY ?!! HE SAID, SHE SAID...
'Any shelter or resource center that wants bus tokens
just has to call up my assistant and we'll give 'em fif-teen
hundred bus tokens, if they want, to help their clients ....'
just has to call up my assistant and we'll give 'em fif-teen
hundred bus tokens, if they want, to help their clients ....'
Quoted HSA (Human Services Agency) representative at a public Shelter Monitoring
Committee Meeting when asked 'Why does Next Door Shelter Policy refuse to give
their clients bus tokens to go job hunting with.... '
2007 - Monthly Shelter Monitoring Committee Meeting
BAD HIRING POLICIES THAT PLACE HOMELESS RESIDENTS AT UNECESSARY RISK
Apparently, after seeing so too much abuse, bad behavior and criminal activity on the part of many shelter, resource center and security employees and supervisors and clients and residents over the years, it becomes painfully obvious that if you want to keep everybody safe and keep the risk of violence and loss of life to the absolute minimum levels.
We must stop hiring people freshly released felons with known drug, violence or theft related crimes in their recent past. Our homeless community needs to be protected by competent, drug and violence free role models, or this system will keep perpetuating violence and loss of life and property.
It seems like community groups and city agencies - somewhere along the line - 'bought in' some bad influences into our shelter directors, supervisors and staff and even local 'community groups' minds that affected their common sense and ignored the safety of our homeless people;
The decision makers and caretakers somehow got brainwashed into believing that hiring convicts, fresh out of prison to watch over our homeless was 'a good thing' to do with some sort of an 'acceptable risk'. A risk that no loving parent or person would allow their own family members to be subjected to.
This City collectively decided, to help out those poor convicts that 'need a good break' and put their needs ahead of the poor homeless who now suffer at the hands of some of these thugs.
NOT ONE HOMELESS PERSON WE'VE EVER TALKED WITH SUPPORTS THE HIRING OF ANY RECENTLY RELEASED FELON.
AS A RULE, RECENTLY RELEASED FELONS THAT DO NOT HAVE A RECENTLY PROVEN TRACK RECORD OF BEING DRUG AND VIOLENCE FREE SHOULD NEVER BE HIRED TO WATCH OVER VULNERABLE AND OFTEN ILL PEOPLE.
Let's be very clear and very honest and frank here. Would any parent, in their right mind, let their son or daughter sleep in a shelter with a floor monitor that just spent the last five years of their life in a state prison for a felony ?
Would you let a man or woman that was convicted of a violent crime or of a robbery a couple years ago watch over your elderly mother or father in a shelter that was funded by your own tax dollars ?
Why do you think that is that no wise parent or sibling would want their homeless family member to be cared for by a recently convicted and released felon ?
Gee, you think its because 'common sense' and statistics bear out that if you put recently dangerous or dishonest people in positions of authority over very vulnerable and basically 'helpless' people that it is a recipe for disaster ?
Dr. Phil would say,
'What were you thinking.... Did you ask the homeless people (the ones you're placing at great risk) for their permission to put them into shelters being run by recently released felons ? '
'Did you ever stop to think that maybe the real life health, safety and welfare of vulnerable people is not 'negotiable' or 'debatable' in the real world.'
'Did the policy makers in this City ever stop to consider the fact that no one has the right to risk the lives of 'the homeless' residents by 'lowering the bar' for TB Screening in the shelters or 'allow recently released felons' to be hired to look after them ?'
'You did not get approval, concensus or permission from the homeless residents to make those two potentially life threatening decisions - for them.' They were left out of the loop and you thrust this policy onto them, resulting in reasonably predictable and preventable harm, abuse and neglect.'
THE HOMELESS COMMUNITY HAS SUFFERED BECAUSE SOME COMMUNITY LEADERS MADE BAD HOMLESS RESOURCE POLICY DECISIONS THAT HAVE RESULTED IN SOME SHELTERS HAVING 'PRISON LIKE' ENVIRONMENTS.
YOU ALL THOUGHT YOU KNEW BETTER - BUT REALITY OF THE VIOLENTCE, CRIME AND THEFT LEVELS, INSIDE TAX FUNDED SHELTERS, SHOWS US THAT YOU WERE ALL WRONG ABOUT RUNNING SHELTERS LIKE PRISONS.
BY HIRING PEOPLE WHOSE ONLY SOCIAL SKILL AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES ARE PRISON SURVIVAL TECHNIQUES AND THEY APPLY THEM DAILY AGAINST HOMELESS RESIDENTS AND OTHER SHELTER STAFF.
'COMMUNITY DECISION MAKERS' ERRED ON THE ISSUES OF TB SCREENING AND THE HIRING OF FELONS INTO THE HOMELESS SHELTERS, BUT THE ARE NOT THE ONES THAT ARE AT RISK OF BEING HURT OR ABUSED. WE ARE. THE HOMELESS RESIDENTS LIVING UNDER THE WATCH OF SOME VERY BAD PEOPLE.
ALL SHELTER RESIDENTS AND STAFF ARE PUT AT AN UNFAIR RISK BY BAD POLICIES THAT WERE CREATED AND IMPLEMENTED WITHOUT APPROVAL BY THE ONES MOST AFFECTED BY THEM.
Well, they got a good break all right. What these old 'G's' (aka Gangsters) that run some of our City's shelters have done, is to 'teach others' how to yell at, abuse and control the elderly, the poor and the homeless in a very gross, ignorant manner.
They taught 'new staff' how to lie and do 'tripled up' write ups to force 'complainers' and anyone else they did not like to be instantly 'Denied Services'.
And not just from one shelter where something may or may not have happened, from ALL SHELTERS under a particular Shelter Provider's control.
Yep, some of these 'old G's taught the new staff (and their client friends and relatives they shoved ahead on 'the waiting list') how to stick cameras up under bathroom stall doors (oh, yeah! we remember who did that little trick.) to catch someone they wanted to D.O.S. doing something against the rules...
Then other violent, drug using, drug dealing staff showed us all how to put stuff into the meals being served to the homeless, (like Ex-Lax, which will kill a person diagnosed with dehydration or respiratory problems) and who knows what else.
IN MANY WAYS, THIS CITY HAS FATHERED A 'CAPTIVE SHELTER SYSTEM'
In general, some service providers 'do it' to all of us (clients, city inspectors, tax payers, good service providers and the general public), by maintaining, this 'thing' that we refer to as a 'captive shelter system'.
That's a system that makes it look like they are giving us everything they want, except for the fact, that they routinely deny us access to the most basic, primary tools and resources we need to 'get on' with our lives and to become 'independent' of this 'captive shelter system'.
BEING IN A SHELTER IS LIKE BEING IN PRISON - KIND OF ...
Ironically, they do this the same way that the corrupted prison systems do it and we'll show you how they do it and who's doing it.
K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Stupid ....
Which is the best way to hire shelter staff to take care of our City's vulnerable homeless population ? (pick one only)
[ Remember that this includes very sensitive mentally ill, veterans with PTSD, traumatized victims of violence and crime, people recovering from physical illnesses, first time homeless people, people suffering from a life crisis and drug addicts and alcoholics. Also remember that our absolute, number one priority is to do what is best for them to help them be safe and get back on their feet, as soon as possible... because they are already at risk)
Choice 'A':
USE BACKGROUND CHECKS - HIRE ONLY QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS ...
Known Results:
GOOD STAFF ROLE MODELS. LESS THEFT. LESS CORRUPTION.
HAPPY AND SAFE CLIENTS AND STAFF. A POSITIVE ENVIRONMENT THAT FOSTERS SELF ESTEEM AND PRODUCTIVITY.
LOW RISK TO CLIENTS AND STAFF SAFETY. CHANCE OF PROBLEMS OR LAWSUITS ARISING FROM THEIR CONDUCT IS MINIMAL AT BEST.
Is it a Winner ?:
IT'S A SURE BET. IT'S A WIN-WIN PROPOSTION THAT ENABLES HOMELESS PEOPLE TO MAINTAIN DIGNITY, RESPECT, SELF ESTEEM AND CONFIDENCE WHICH ARE NECESSARY ELEMENTS FOR THEM TO SUCCEED.
OR,
Choice 'B':
IGNORE BACKGROUND CHECKS AND COMMON SENSE HIRING STANDARDS.
HIRE ANY FRIEND, FAMILY MEMBER OR SOME OTHER UNQUALIFIED PERSON THAT ARE KNOWN TO BE RECENTLY RELEASED THUGS, DRUG ADDICTS , CONS, THIEVES AND GANG MEMBERS TO WATCH OVER THE SICK, ELDERLY, MENTALLY ILL, POOR AND VULNERABLE HOMELESS MEN AND WOMEN.
Known Results (based on years of investigations and committee reports):
YOU GET LOTS OF ABUSE, PAIN, SUFFERING, LOSS OF LIFE & STOLEN
PROPERTY.
CAUSES FAMILIES TO FALL APART (BECAUSE THE QUALITY OF THEIR LIVES KEEPS GOING DOWN HILL) OR STAFF LIE TO PROTECT THEIR FRIENDS OR FAMILY ON STAFF FROM GETTING CAUGHT OUT LYING, CHEATING, STEALING, LOAN SHARKING, DRUG DEALING, ET CETERA.
Is it a Winner ?:
NO. NOBODY WINS WITH THIS TYPE OF BAD HIRING PRACTICE.
IT'S A LOSE-LOSE PROPOSITION FOR SURE.
IT'S AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN. HIGH PROBABILITY OF PREVENTABLE LOSS OF LIFE OR PROPERTY. MANAGEMENT NIGHTMARE.
LAWSUIT WAITING TO HAPPEN...
UNACCEPTABLE RISK TO THE HOMELESS THAT WE ARE SUPPOSED TO MAKE FEEL SAFE AND SECURE UNDER OUR CARE.
WE ALL LOSE. SOME OF US MAY EVEN LOSE OUR LIFE BECAUSE OF
THIS BAD HIRING PRACTICE.
JOB SECURITY IS NOT BASED ON PERFORMANCE.
IT'S GUARANTEED BECAUSE THE SHELTER GETS A TAX BREAK BY HIRING RECENTLY RELEASED EX-CONS.
THERE IS NO EXPECTION FOR THEM TO DO THEIR JOB RIGHT OR ANY REAL CONSEQUENCES FOR THEM BECAUSE IT WAS KNOWN THEY WERE NOT QUALIFIED TO BEGIN WITH, SO THERE ARE NO SURPRISES.
FAMILY AND FRIENDS HIRED BY SHELTER MANAGEMENT ARE PROTECTED BECAUSE SHELTER MANAGERS WILL SHRED THEIR PAPERWORK, HELP THEM FALSIFY HEARING TESTIMONY AND LIE TO COVER THEIR ASSES, BECAUSE THEY ARE FAMILY.
THAT IS WHY REPUTABLE ORGANIZATIONS DO NOT ALLOW MANAGERS TO HIRE FAMILY AND STAFF. THAT IS WHY CORPORATIONS ARE PROHIBITED FROM HIRING PEOPLE THAT ARE A KNOWN POTENTIAL RISK TO THEIR CLIENTS AND STAFF.
THAT IS WHY WE MAKE LAWS TO PROHIBIT FRATERNIZATION (AND SLEEPING AROUND) AMONGST MANAGEMENT, STAFF AND CLIENTS.
BECAUSE THERE IS AN INHERENT CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND AN EVER PRESENT RISK THAT STAFF AND SUPERVISORS WILL LIE OR COVER UP ABUSES CAUSED BY OTHER CLOSE RELATIONSHIPS ON STAFF.
SO, TO SUM UP HOW SOME SHELTERS CAUSE MORE PROBLEMS THAN THEY SOLVE BECAUSE OF THEIR LACK OF GOOD PRACTICES AND LACK OF PROPER OVERSIGHT AND ENFORCEMENT OF EXISTING LAWS AND CONTRACTURAL OBLIGATIONS....
IT'S ALL SMOKE AND MIRRORS AT SOME TAX PAYER FUNDED SHELTERS...
Several homeless residents (going back to last year) tell us that all of the program brochures and even in their 'orientation' (as recently as a month ago) at one shelter that is tauted by Mayor Newsom as 'a best practice site' tell us about all these things they are going to do to help their clients.
The room was closed for month and months but still advterised
like it was open. Months later, after complaints were made by residents,
they posted this sign, which was also up for months and months....
like it was open. Months later, after complaints were made by residents,
they posted this sign, which was also up for months and months....
One shelter advertises 'on-site' job workshops (displayed on lobby bulletin boards), andvon site computer access (in the lobby program brochures) and they even invite clients to use their 'new computer facilities' (by case mangers in orientation) which HAS NOT been fully opened or staffed for a year now. 20 PC's (except what's been stolen) that have been locked up and noone is allowed to use them.....
No, clients have to 'walk' to other places where they have sign up sheets, waiting lines, limited times for useage, and are often placed 'at risk' (drug addicted clients)
when they to walk down to like, let's say, the SOMA, across Market Street, where they will be approached by hordes of drug dealers....
Their chances of making it across town to finish their resume, check their email or whatever is slim, every time they step out that shelter door.... do ya' feel us now ?!!
Do you see how this crap all plays out in the real world ?
It's all smoke and mirrors that enables them to suck money out of funding for homeless services that lines up the pockets of the management (and their relatives who also are on staff and are also clients there...). It all smacks of nepotism and its been like that for years.... right under HSA's nose).
That's another reason why we do not trust HSA or any City Agency to enforce shelters because they either play along with these harmful, illegal games or they 'hide them'. Either way none of them can be trusted with tax payer dollars (or
with the lives of our City's elderly, mentally ill, veterans, homeless and poor people, anymore.)
Any qualified investigator, 'contract compliance' officer or district attorney would have put these incompetent, negligent or corrupt operators out of business, a long time ago. And we would have more success stories and more money available for the legitimate and well run non-profits, who do it right.
Had they (the City or HSA or DPH) been up on top of these 'rackets' from the beginning and stopped them years ago, we believe the safety levels and success rates for out homeless residents would be much higher than they are today..
JUST GIVE US WHAT WE NEED (INSTEAD OF WHAT YOU THINK WE NEED) SO THAT WE CAN GET ON OUT OF THIS CORRUPTED SYSTEM, PLEASE !
To get anything done in this or any other City, there are certain necessary things
any of us would need just to do regular life activities such as getting to and from the place where they sleep at to go to their work, health and program appointments.
That means we would need a good meal with sufficient calories and nutrition to 'make it' to wherever it is we have to go. Then we would need reliable, daily transportation to get to job interviews, resource centers or to attend necessary appointments for medical and social services, for example.
And, of course, while we are out 'doing things' we need to have a safe and large enough place to store our belongings and paperwork.
When we get back to where we sleep, we will need to have a proper meal and peaceful sleep, for at least 8 hours, in order to repair and heal our bodies and our mind, from the day's wear and tear. We also need good sleep to heal any wounds or illnesses we might have.
Without a good night's sleep and the proper nutrition it is not possible to maintain our immune system and energy levels enough to move on towards getting 'out' of this 'captive shelter system'.
Right now, without standards and proper enforcement, a homeless person cannot rely on being able to have even their most basic needs met any many shelters.
Some of them are excellent. And some not so great shelters do some things really well. Other shelters do such a horrendous job on the basics, that the good parts pale by comparison.
SOME SHELTERS ARE AWESOME, MOST OF THE TIME... FOR EXAMPLE:
[ The information below has been checked out and cross-referenced and collaborated from several independent sources. Including the personal experiences shared on our web groups, submitted via SFHomeless email accounts and web sites by clients that have actually stayed in these shelters in the
past 12 to 24 months or more. Also based on official public records, documents from various city
agencies; committee reports; community work groups; community advocates and other reports from
reliable shelter staff, management and confidential witnesses that have first hand knowledge of what
is being presented to you here, for your reference and enlightenment. Presented in the Public Interest ]
MSC SOUTH - 5TH AND BRYANT - SITE MANAGED BY ST. VINCENT DePAUL
MSC South. An example of a once rotten shelter, that has come a long way.
With people like 'Big Wayne' on their staff (and great monitors like Rod and Case Managers like Sofala and Roz) they went from literally being a purported meth lab; house of prostitution; drug dealing and the 'selling of blankets' into what most homeless residents now consider to be a fairly good shelter that is safe and clean most of the time.
They do have some problems with staff that include lax enforcement of some policies with mixed results. Staff sometimes let the client's get too loud at night and in the early morning, which does cause problems for the other clients and does violate their City Contracts.
But, they are relaxed when it comes to clients plugging in cell phones which makes a huge positive difference in favor of helping the residents.
They are also a bit laxed around eating food upstairs, but most clients take extra steps to cleanup food dropped, so there is more positive benefits than negative when it comes to that kind of thing. Clients and staff share food with each other which makes for much better staff/client relations.
When staff or clients 'get out of hand' with leaving food messes, they do get written up, so they all 'police' themselves.
They also let clients use portable TV's and are looser on rules than the other shelters which result in less clients being written up for petty things. All in all, that makes them a place where most clients do not mind being at, compared to other shelters that are much worse.
The dinner food there is outstanding most nights. And for breakfast, they almost always have milk (real milk mixed with powdered) and coffee from a huge urn.
They also often give out seconds, which helps people to keep on weight and gives them most of the nutrition and calories they need to actually get things done without having to go stand in a line somewhere else, to get a second meal, in the morning.
DOLORES SHELTER SYSTEM
Another example of a great shelter system. The Dolores Shelters.
They have routinely kept up their communications with the Shelter Monitoring Committee and other community work groups. They seem to go out of their way to upgrade their shelters, on their own, without waiting for financial assistance.
They have a 'can do' attitude and they attend almost all community meetings and work groups. Their clients tell us great things about their shelter. Which has a no-nonsense policy on bad behavior, but it works because there is a clear understanding that 'they care'. The only problem is they are far away from a lot of services downtown and most clients have to walk which is really hard on people.
CENTRAL CITY'S HOSPITALITY HOUSE (On Leavenworth)
Another fine example of a safe and very clean shelter that cares.
Hospitality House staff; for the most part, respect their homeless clients and make a point to 'show that they care' because they tell their residents in orientation:
'We are not here to write you up or D.O.S. you. We want you to be better off
when you leave, than when you came in here. We want you to help your brothers
out here. We do not use the word 'snitch'. We are out brother's keeper. If you see
your neighbor doing wrong, politely tell them so, to help them. If they will not
listen or change for the better then you should tell our staff so that they can step
in to help..."
They rarely write up clients because clients there are taught to 'care for one another'.
The only bummer at Hospitality House is the fact that they do not have very filling or nutritious breakfasts, most of the time. It's usually just grits and a slice of ham and sometimes some powdered eggs and sausage links.
But, they always have fresh bread and often have a huge bin of peanut butter so clients can make sandwiches to fill them, at their leisure. [ We have pictures posted for you here, on our SFHomeless Yahoo! Group Photo Section ].
Sounds like some small thing to have 20 lbs. of peanut butter and 10 loaves of whole wheat bread sitting on a counter. But, that 'small thing' is really huge.
It makes a homeless person feel like they are cared for and the trust and freedom to make your own sandwich, whenever you want, is a big deal when you are hungry and homeless.
It's good nutrition and good for one's self esteem to be treated like a trusted adult, instead of a person that has to be yelled at and rushed out of a cafeteria, like other shelters often do.
In their defense, they do not buy meals or pay another kitchen facility to cook for them. Glide Church graciously prepares and donates all of Hospitality House's meals, which means the light breakfast seven days a week and really delicious and filling dinners, Monday through Friday (they give residents bag lunches on weekends, instead of hot dinners).
WE HAVE MORE SHELTERS REPORTS LIKE THE ONES ABOVE, COMING DOWN THE PIPELINE... STAY TUNED FOR OUR OFFICIAL HOMELESS SHELTER REPORT CARDS WHICH ARE COMING SOON....
We're here to help each other, as an informed and united community, to raise the
community's awareness levels about real issues, like the safety, funding, fraud, neglect, food and transporation issues mentioned above. Issues that you will not likely find published in the local media or contained in any City Hall or HSA reports, any time soon. They tend to keep all of this stuff 'under wraps'. Good city staff that have submitted tips have risked their jobs, in the name of the public good.
To those individual homeless residents, shelter & resource staff and city employees who may have themselves been harmed or retaliated against for sharing their facts, observations and documents, with us, WE SALUTE EACH ONE OF YOU.
YOU HAVE UN-SELFISHLY RISKED YOUR JOBS, YOUR SHELTER BEDS AND YOUR POLITICAL CAREERS TO HELP DEFEND & PROTECT THE HOMELESS BY EXPOSING OTHERS THAT ARE CORRUPT AND HARMFUL TO US.
YOU ARE TRULY NOBLE & WORTHY OF OUR RESPECT, ADMIRATION AND ETERNAL GRATITUDE BECAUSE - YOU - PUT OTHER PEOPLE'S LIVES, NEEDS, SECURITY AND SAFETY, AHEAD OF YOUR OWN.
YOU ARE A ROLE MODEL FOR ALL CONCERNED SAN FRANCISCANS TO FOLLOW.
OTHERS WILL FOLLOW YOUR EXAMPLE BECAUSE THEY TOO ARE SICK AND TIRED OF BEING ABUSED SICK & TIRED OF NOT HAVING SAFE, AFFORDABLE LIVES.
WE ALSO HATE THE CORRUPTION, THE POLITICS AND THE LIES THAT ARE BEING TOLD ABOUT OUR CITY'S HOUSING AND HOMELESS SHELTER SYSTEMS.
THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HOMELESS HEARTS.
WHAT HOMELESS PEOPLE REALLY WANT AND NEED FROM THE CITY !
REAL SAFETY. REAL SECURITY. ENFORCE THE LAWS DESIGNED TO PROTECT US FROM ABUSE AND NEGLECT NO MATTER WHERE WE HAVE TO SLEEP AT NIGHT.
WE NEED COMMON SENSE POLICIES TO MATCH THE NEEDS OF TODAY'S MODERN HOMELESS RESIDENTS THAT NEED RELIABLE TRANSPORTATION, ACCESS TO ELECTRICITY, COMMUNICATIONS, ADEQUATE FOOD, JOB TRAINING AND OTHER BASIC RESOURCES JUST TO HAVE ANY HOPE OF GETTING AWAY FROM HOMELESSNESS IN A TIMELY MANNER.
[ The information that follows is derived from homeless stories, interviews, complaints made to City agencies, public meetings, case studies, and antecdotal reports from people that work in homeless and housing services in San Francisco and other U.S. Cities. ]
We want changes in the current system that will address recurring issues that 'hold us back' from becoming independent from the shelter system.
Things like our ever present need for safer shelters (we're not talking about metal detectors and security guards). We're talking about real security like what you have when a shelter operates with common sense hiring standards and requires decent background checks on anyone being paid, with tax payer dollars to watch over us.
'We want qualified, experienced professionals to do real case management' not just someone that sees us for a few minutes and then tells us that everything we need is against city or shelter policy.
If you are going to help us, help us. Don't just sit there and make up reasons why you cannot give us the most basic tools or resources that any person, homeless or not, would need to get on with their life outside the shelter systems.'
We want 'on-site' services and programs that really exist. Not just some non-existent blurb on a funding proposal or lobby brochure. Stop lying to us.
We want 'hassle-free' transportation, like a personalized Bus Pass that has our picture on it, so that it can't be sold and used by someone else.
We do not want to have to beg, borrow, steal or plead with shelter staff or a social worker just to make sure we have a reliable means of transportation.
How can anyone keep a job or keep their appointments without consistent, reliable transportation. "As needed' or 'verified need' basis does not cut it.
If ANYONE for any reason fails to honor bus token policies, we will lose our job because we are late or do not show up. We will be dropped from a program or charged a fee if we cannot make it to a medical appointment.
If we get a job lead or a chance to sign up for a program that helps us, on the fly, we will miss those opportunities if we have to 'jump hoops' to get tokens for the day.
We want to be safe and secure while staying in shelters, with the knowledge our lives are entrusted to qualified professionals; hired because of their skills and experience; not incompetent or inexperienced employees and supervisors hired by nepotism and favoritism; because they are friends or relatives of shelter staff.
We want trusted and respectable role models to watch over us while we are homeless to make sure we are not being robbed by staff or clients while we sleep or by staff monitors that erroneously write us up because they are not able to read, write or count beds accurately.
How many times we been stressed out, threatened with denials of service and written up by fools that have no training; no experience that cannot even be trusted to count beds properly ? It happens time and time again at some shelters.
How many times have staff been involved in selling drugs ? How many times have we seen floor monitors threaten clients and treat them like prison inmates ?
Some shelters, by design, hire recently (like last month) released felons that have little or no recent experience functioning in society, outside of the prison system.
We're not talking about a person who has been out for a couple years; that has proven themselves to be honest, trustworthy, non-violent and drug free.
We're talking about people that stepped out of the prison gates last week or last month who ma have long rap sheets riddled with violence and drug use. People that are even well known to the community to have always been violent, or that still has gang ties and that are known to still use or sell drugs.
Why would anyone (in their right mind) use our tax dollars to hire a convict that
just got out of prison to work in a homeless shelter ?
If you want them to fail or you want them to prey on the homeless, then that is exactly the kind of people you hire in our City's shelters.
We have seen bad behavior on the part of staff and supervisors that were not qualified to be in any position of power or authority over the most vulnerable residents in our City.
Would you like to see your son or daugther, sister or brother, mother or father living in a shelter that hires drug dealing, violent felons that were just released from prison, last month ?
Or, would you rather see them being cared for by kind, loving, professionals that either have no criminal past or that have a proven track record of being crime and drug free for a few years, even though they may have a record from many years ago ?
'We need to be able to wash our own clothes in the shelter where we are at. Every time we cannot wash clothes, we have to steal or beg in the streets which puts us at risk of being attacked or arrested. Some of us have only been victims of crime after staying in a shelter. Some of us have never been harassed by police or arrested for drinking until we became homeless. It's not safe outside in this City.'
WE ARE DEDICATED TO EXPOSING THE TRUTH AND THE FACTS OF OUR LIVES, SO
WE CAN PUBLICLY IDENTIFY THE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE LYING, CHEATING AND HARMING US ALL. THAT IS THE ONLY WAY WE CAN STOP THIS MERRY-GO-ROUND.
SFHomeless Yahoo! Group volunteers and members are dedicated to exposing people and processes that are causing problems. We expose and share what affects us, so they can be publicly addressed and fixed by our community, using smart, efficient, thoughtful and deliberate permanent solutions.
No person or group and no amount of money and resources can fix a problem until we are all clear about exactly what is the 'root cause' of the problem. To know what it is really going on from the homeless resident's perspective is crucial to this process.
Ask and outreach to our homeless residents instead of making unsound guesses or blind assumptions or repeating 'solutions' created by a lot non-homeless people,
that have never worked before and will not work now.
Throwing more money around to bad people or bad systems based on bad philosophies or ideals does not help fix the problem.
Shutting down shelter sites instead of enforcing laws and contracts is not the answer.
Making things look better than they really are, is not the answer.
Faking books and faking homeless numbers or counts to make a person or organization or political group 'look good', is not the right answer.
Every time 'things' are changed or shut down, instead of holding individuals and each other accountable for how we live and work, always makes our problems grow bigger and bigger.
Every one of us in this City must change our ways to be the best that we can.
We must have the discipline; the courage; and the political fortitude to 'play by the rules', tell the whole truth and actively enforce our own laws and rules against the individuals that are playing games with other people's lives and money. They cheat and lie and get fat, while our people suffer in the streets and in badly run programs, shelters and jails.
We are dedicated to reforming San Francisco's housing and homeless shelter systems by identifying and exposing the people and processes that do us more harm than good.
We are into risk assessment and loss prevention when it comes to the hiring practices and operating standards and procedures of the shelters and resource centers.
We're sick and tired of seeing homeless people and mentally ill and elderly people being preyed upon only because shelters keep hiring friends, family members and others that are NOT qualified to be employed in social services, anywhere, let alone inside of emergency shelters that are full of ill and traumatized human beings.
Most people that come right out of prison are 'anti-social'. They have been living in a 'dog eat dog ' environment and all they know is intimidation, violence. Anyone that has not been 'clean and sober' and free of violence for the past few years, has no business being employed and paid a salary with tax payer dollars, period.
WE THINK YOU HAVE GOT A CLEAR PICTURE NOW - OF HOW SOME OF THE SHELTERS IN THIS CITY HAVE BEEN OPERATING OUTSIDE THE LAW.
THAT'S BECAUSE IT DOES NOT 'FEEL LIKE' OR APPEAR TO US, THAT 'THE CITY' HAS NOT DONE THEIR PRIMARY JOB - WHICH IS TO SERVE AND PROTECT US - THEY OFTEN HAVE FAILED US, MISERABLY.
ASK A GOOD 'OL BEAT COP WHAT'S REALLY GOIN' ON ... ASK A SHELTER WORKER THAT'S BEEN HERE FOR YEARS, WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON.
TOO MANY GOOD PEOPLE HERE -- KNOW THE TRUTH.
TOO MANY GOOD PEOPLE ARE SICK & TIRED OF THE LIES & THE POLITICS.
THE 'GOOD AND HONEST PEOPLE' OF SAN FRANCISCO HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO REGAIN CONTROL OVER OUR COMMUNITY.
ANYONE CAN GET ELECTED TO BE THE MAYOR OR BECOME HEAD OF A CITY AGENCY LIKE HSA. THAT'S ALREADY A KNOWN GIVEN.
BUT THE REAL POWER IN THIS CITY LIES IN THE HEART AND SOUL OF ITS GOOD PEOPLE.
THE ONES THAT PUT THEMSELVES INTO OTHER PEOPLE'S SHOES BEFORE MAKING LIFE, HEALTH, SAFETY AND DEATH DECISIONS, OVER THE LIVES OF OTHERS.
HOPEFULLY, MOST REASONABLE AND SANE SAN FRANCISCO RESIDENTS IN OUR COMMUNITY HAVE THE GOOD SENSE TO KNOW WHEN THEY'RE BEING TRICKED OR DECEIVED BY LOCAL MEDIA OR MONEY INFLUENCED POLITICIANS.
WE DO THE RIGHT THING BECAUSE WE CARE.
SHAME ON EACH ONE OF YOUR THAT TURNED YOUR HEAD AND LOOKED THE OTHER WAY - KEEPING QUIET TO PROTECT THESE SCAMMERS, CHEATERS AND THIEVES.
WE ARE ALL WATCHING NOW. WE ARE ALL LISTENING AND MAKING NOTES AND TAKING DOWN NAMES ...
We take all of those tips, add some research and publish that information for all
to see and critique. Then we forward other non-published details of those tips to reliable and trusted local, state and federal agencies for further investigation and prosecution on a case by case basis.
No more lies, cover ups, delays, disappointments and unfufilled promises and political villification for us, anymore. Enough is enough.
We use these blogs and web sites to fully excercise our right to speak up, share resources and decide for ourselves, who to trust with our lives and our money;
We are moving foward, in lock step, to demand and obtain safe, affordable, sanitary and adequate living spaces for all of our San Francisco communities.
If you share our values and our vision for making San Francisco a model for all communities, on how to treat those whom have not, then You are more than Welcome Here.
Come to share and come to learn what our life here is all about, for real - minus the hype, the hidden agendas and the 'dog and pony' shows... We're keepin it real.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment