Welcome to Eye on the Ball’s four-part series on renters’ rights in San Francisco. This week, we’ll talk about what to do when your landlord says, “You gotta go!”
First, take a few deep breaths. You don’t have to leave just because your landlord tells you to. There are rules they have to follow and rights you have in this process.
Continue reading “Eye on the Ball: Know Your Rights and Protect Yourself from Unjust Eviction”
Due to concern about HIV, Hep C and overdose deaths, there has recently been a surge in discussion both locally and nationally about creating Safe Consumption Services (or Safe Injection Facilities) where people who use drugs can take them under medically supervised conditions. These facilities would mitigate the risk of harm to folks who are already using drugs in very unsafe surroundings, such as in the streets or in bathrooms of businesses.
After months of meetings, research and rallies, the city now awaits a decision from a designated Safe Injection Services Task Force on whether Safe Injection Services will be made legal in San Francisco. GLIDE spoke with Paul Harkin, HIV/Hep C & Harm Reduction Programs Manager, to learn more about the need for legalized Safe Injection Services and how these facilities exemplify compassionate harm reduction-based policy.
Continue reading “"A transformative way of dealing with drug use": Paul Harkin on Safe Consumption Sites”
Radical Action Thursdays (RATs) are back! But because we aren’t fond of rats, we tweaked the name a bit.
So what’s this whole RAW thing, anyway?
Continue reading “It’s raw. It’s rad. It’s Radical Action Writing!”
As members of GLIDE’s HIV & Hep C Harm Reduction Programs, the Hepatitis C navigators and I get the pleasure of being part of the City of San Francisco’s End Hep C SF initiative. End Hep C SF is a multi-sector collective-impact initiative that includes various service providers and community members working towards the elimination of hepatitis C in San Francisco. As a collective, we meet regularly in different work groups to find creative ways to increase testing and linkage to hepatitis C care, improve research and surveillance on hepatitis C prevalence, increase prevention and education efforts in the community, and increase hepatitis C treatment access to all hepatitis C–positive people in San Francisco.
Continue reading “"Tales from the Cured": Ending Hepatitis C in San Francisco”
I really believe there are things nobody would see if I didn’t photograph them. — Diane Arbus
San Francisco is the land of invisible people—the homeless, the needy, the users, the ill, the marginalized, the undocumented. People who not only fall through society’s cracks, but who are ignored (or worse) by the middle and upper class residents of this city. Photography has long been used to tell stories of those unseen. It is a flexible tool that crosses both cultural and linguistic barriers, and thus is able to tell the stories of many different people, to many different people.
Continue reading “Photovoice – A Tool for Community Empowerment and Advocacy”
GLIDE is fortunate to have the support of many local community partners, including our friends at SurveyMonkey, one of the generous sponsors of this year’s GLIDE Legacy Gala. This Saturday, August 5, SurveyMonkey folks will be in the house for the 8th annual Gala and we’d like to take the opportunity to share some of the other ways SurveyMonkey has given back to the community and supported GLIDE’s many services and programs for its most vulnerable and in-need members. In particular, SurveyMonkey Contribute–a survey platform that channels a percentage of funds to nonprofits—has already helped GLIDE raise tens of thousands of dollars for our community programs.
Continue reading “Shout out to SurveyMonkey Contribute!”
In August of 1967, GLIDE’s monthly publication, Venture, was entirely devoted to the Black People’s Free Store. The letter that went out with the publication explained briefly, “The Black People’s Free Store was established in the Spring of 1967 by young black militants in the Fillmore ghetto. Since then the store has been distributing free food, clothing, appliances, and furniture to the poor.”
Venture went on to tell the story of how the store began, and what it did in the community. We offer the following excerpts from the issue in honor of the history of struggle by African Americans and their allies for self-determination, equality and a society grounded in mutual respect and aid.
Continue reading “Summer of Love Flashback: The Black People’s Free Store”
GLIDE hosted its first-ever Gender Expression and Identity Summit on May 5–7. The idea came from the GLIDE Pride Team and GLIDE’s pastoral intern, Todd Whitley, who designed the gathering to deepen our understanding of issues related to transgender and gender-expansive people, increase solidarity, and hold space with and for people to discuss spirituality in the fullness of who they are.
Continue reading “A Gender Identity Summit at GLIDE”
Michael is a dedicated volunteer in GLIDE’s Daily Free Meals program as well as a program participant. Originally from the Glen Park neighborhood of San Francisco, Michael had only been coming to eat at GLIDE for a week before he started to spend several hours each day volunteering to cook for and serve his fellow Tenderloin residents. A few weeks ago, Michael kindly took a moment to share some of his story with us.
I had always heard of GLIDE, and curiosity got the better of me. I was actually waiting in line to get a meal and one of the other volunteers said, “They need some help down there,” and he asked me if I wanted to help. I said sure. It got me in the door and out of the cold, so why not? That was about five months ago. I have been coming every day since. I usually do breakfast and lunch. It’s better being in here than out there; it’s a little crazy out there. It’s a pretty rough environment.
The people that we serve is what brings me here every day—the elderly, you get kind of attached to them. I like helping them out. I feel more accomplished, like I have done some good. To be outside isn’t ideal, getting into no-good stuff—I don’t do drugs or anything, but when you are out there it’s all lonely and I try to get away from it.
“Making the best of it”
I worked for a long time as a building engineer in the city and then I lost my job, lost where I was living, lost everything else and ended up on the street. I was applying for jobs but when you get to the age part they become a bit edgy. I am 63 now, and they would rather hire someone younger.
So anyway, I am trying to make the best of it. I have an escape place I go to when it gets tight. I go down to Pier 7 on the Embarcadero and I just hang out there. It helps me relax. And when you are not looking at the Bay, you have a great view of the skyline. It’s a beautiful city; I love living here. I wouldn’t change anything. I mean, I have travelled to different places but this is home.
I also like to go to the zoo and the Academy of Sciences to relax. I have a lady friend that works at the zoo, so whenever I want to go she will give me a pass. It’s cool; I like going to check out the big cats like the tigers and lions. I think they are pretty great; I was heartbroken when they had to shoot that one tiger a few years back. I knew the person in charge of the lion house. He was pretty shook up. After that happened, he retired.
Thursday and Sunday are chicken nights and this place is swamped. It’s like the last piece of chicken they will ever see in their life. I always think, “Relax people! There is more chicken!”
When you put on the aprons and gloves and all that before working in the kitchen, you also have to put on a name tag. What I do is I change my name every day and then all the old people ask, “Who are you today?” Yesterday I was Sam Spade, last week I was Formula One driver Niki Lauda. It keeps them guessing and they like the entertainment.
Looking to the future
I have to work one more year in the trade. If I can work one more year, I can retire from the union and get my pension. See but that is the hard part, and where the age factor comes in. What I would like to do is set up my retirement and go to a third world country and spend the rest of my life there. Some place in Asia maybe and just kick it.
I still have my job certification. I’m putting out resumes still. I’m hoping one of them will bite. I do everything—electronics, fingerprints for security. I do the regular mechanical stuff such as electrical, communications and data. I have skills like welding, plumbing, stuff like that. But I lean more towards the electronic part of the industry.
I would encourage people to come down here and do volunteer work, it did a lot for me. I am a very solo person but when I see the elderly and disabled, I know I am doing something good and it makes me feel good inside too.
