Featured – GLIDE – San Francisco: serving the people of the Tenderloin and San Francisco since 1963

Tony Trim’s Story: Finding Community and Connection at GLIDE’s Barbershop

61-year old Tenderloin resident Tony Trim describes the impact of The Shop on his life. After coming in for a haircut, he learned about the health education and peer support groups and kept coming back. Tony is in recovery and especially appreciates having peer support around relapse prevention. He says, “I’ve put walls up, but being around men who have been on the same journey as me… it makes me feel not ashamed that I’ve been through this, you know what I mean? There’s nothing but love here.

Social Justice Academy Graduate Erik Preciado: Opportunities Unlocked, Dreaming Big

GLIDE’s Social Justice Academy (SJA) is a fellowship for people who have navigated tough times, and provides advocacy opportunities and skill training. Lawmakers benefit from hearing the lived experiences of the people their policies are intended to serve. Today we spotlight SJA fellow Erik Preciado, whose cohort was sponsored by a grant from Kaiser Foundation Hospital Fund for Community Benefit Programs at the East Bay Community Foundation. From suffering early hardship in childhood, to choosing community service as a young man, to obtaining an internship with Supervisor Bilal Mahmood, Erik has had an incredible journey– and he’s just getting started.

HBCU Students Visit GLIDE and learn the needs of San Francisco’s Tenderloin

This summer, GLIDE welcomed a group of Black2SF interns for a day of community service and conversation. Black2SF is a summer program for undergraduates from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to receive hands-on work experience and connect with the city’s cultural and civic life. By the end of the day, the students who arrived unsure of what to expect from the Tenderloin left with something to carry home to their own campuses and communities: a reminder that nobody has to wait for permission to pick up the torch.

Sanctifying Time. Magnifying Justice

This deepening partnership between GLIDE and Brandeis is what I call a justice covenant: a deep, enduring, soulful and commitment between loving individuals and communities that empowers us to collectively work to heal civic and societal wounds that have festered for way too long in this blessed yet troubled city and country of ours. When we gather together regularly, when see the Tzelem Elohim, the Image of God in one another’s eyes, we can’t help but remember that we need each other and that we are in this holy+healing work together.

An Empowering Night of Queer History at “House of GLIDE”

In celebration of Pride Month, GLIDE’s Center for Social Justice and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence co-hosted a powerful panel on queer history and futures, called “House of GLIDE.” The evening was also graced by a gorgeous dance performance from Sir JoQ and Crew.

Roots and Resonance: A Musician’s Workshop that Inspired Deep Community

“On Saturday May 16th, musicians from many faith organizations (including Glide Memorial Church, City of Refuge UCC, and Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir) joined together for a day of teaching, fellowship, and artistic exchange, funded by the generous gift of the Haas Foundation.”

Key Lesson from Muhammad Karuo’s Drug Recovery Journey

“Eventually, Muhammad decided he wanted something different. After connecting with GLIDE’s Health Empowerment and Access Treatment (HEAT) Program, he began working with HEAT Coordinator Nathan Bronson. Nathan helped him get connected to resources, including Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) benefits, mailing address, and treatment services. “

From Drug Dependency to Social Justice Advocacy in San Francisco

“What does GLIDE mean to me? When people ask what GLIDE has meant to me, I always come back to this: GLIDE will love you until you can love yourself. GLIDE meets you where you’re at and helps put you on a path toward a life that feels meaningful and worthwhile. I wholeheartedly recommend the Social Justice Academy to anyone interested in advocacy, leadership, and self-empowerment. It can transform how you see yourself. You go from being someone who feels invisible, someone people won’t even look in the eye, to recognizing the power of your own lived experience.”

Cory Booker at GLIDE in SF: A Message of Love and Action

“U.S. Senator Cory Booker grew up in a middle class suburb but chose to live in a housing project while governing Newark. So when Assemblymember Matt Haney welcomed Sen. Cory Booker to the GLIDE stage, he observed, “If Sen. Booker lived in San Francisco, he would probably live a couple blocks from here,” acknowledging the senator’s solidarity with those most in need. “

A Journey Home Interview with My’Quashah

When My’Quashah first arrived in San Francisco nearly three years ago, she and her boyfriend were hopeful about building a new life. They had come to California for a job opportunity and the chance to experience something new.

But over time, the realities of San Francisco’s high cost of living — combined with the absence of nearby family support — made stability increasingly difficult, especially while raising children.