By Richard Ivanhoe, HANC Board
This month, the topic of our general meeting (December 11 at the Park Branch Library, 1833 Page St, beginning at 7 pm) is Cleaning Up in the Haight-Ashbury, plus an update on the Homeless Youth Alliance (HYA). We’re not speaking metaphorically about cleaning up—we are not inviting speculators, and we are not featuring transients selling their northern harvest. Instead, we’re speaking literally—sidewalk cleaning and showers.
We have invited Christian Calinsky and Carlie Leduc from Taking It to the Streets. The organization began this past February, with the goal of interrupting the cycle of homelessness and transitioning people back into housing. One of the programs they started employs street kids (“kids” could be as old as in their 30s) to clean the sidewalks, abate graffiti, and acting as a liaison between business owners and the street population, in exchange for housing and food.
We’ve also invited Buster Fleming and Warren Katz, who have been cleaning and sweeping Ashbury Street for the past few years. Their business model is simple—residents who live on Ashbury collectively pay for the service. Buster is a long time resident of the neighborhood, and was part of the Haight Streetsweepers, an organization managed by HANC that cleaned Haight Street, until it ended in 2006 due to lack of merchant support.
We have also invited Doniece Sandoval, founder of Lava Mae. Lava Mae has converted an SFMTA Bus to provide shower and toilet facilities for the homeless. They currently provide service in the Tenderloin on Thursday and Friday mornings, and in the Mission on Saturday mornings, with plans to provide full service by the Spring. We anticipate a discussion that will include the technical and political issues involved in bringing Lava Mae to the Haight-Ashbury.
Finally, we have invited Shira Noel from the Homeless Youth Alliance to update us on the status of the organization. As you may remember, HYA was forced to close its drop-in center on Haight Street last December. The organization has continued its mission of meeting homeless youth where they are at, and to help them build healthier lives.
Our December 11th meeting will offer you a chance for information about your neighborhood not available anywhere else. Our meetings are always free and open to the public. So, bring a friend, and join us, downstairs at the Park Branch Library, 1833 Page Street, Thursday, December 11, beginning at 7 pm.