Street outreach meeting 2/28/24

Updates from this month

Next week updates

Request from Salvation Army

Harm Reduction Theory

Mostly, Christians, their leaders have titles: lieutenant, captain, major, lieutenant colonel, colonel, and commissioner

Hope Center- detox and recovery (100 people spanning for 6 months, strict, no cellphone for first 3 months)

The detox center has ~30 beds

After detox, they are encouraged to come back for recovery, if they have space available

Last Friday’s Outreach (trying for 3 times a week) of every month- make sandwiches(180) and coffee, socks(high quality-100% cotton), and leg warmers and meet and or follow up with people

Salvation Army is looking for sock donations because they are trying to up their outreach to 3 days a week

Sock price found on eBay: 600 pairs for $500

Everyone at the meeting was asked to look up sock donation organizations, reach out, and report back to our next meeting

One participant saw his childhood friend and encouraged him to join a recovery program

This individual joined the Salvation Army because he got arrested and was mandated to go through treatment, by the court

They are a brand new church, they do the work along with praying

Block party 3rd Saturday of each month at Wood Street- they have barbers, hair braiders, BBQ, and socks(all brand new donations)

About 40 volunteers

The encampment community members brought in tubs of Harm Reduction supplies

They were protesting events, and instead of participating, they were trying to push their ideology that unhoused people benefit from harm reduction/ materials used to take drugs

2 resident volunteers were supposed to help but didn't volunteer due to the Harm Reduction Supplies protest incident

Feels like a separation was created between the church volunteers and the unhoused people who are passionate about providing “Harm Reduction” supplies

From the perspective of these two women, they are saving lives by bringing clean needles, pipes, and foil to this block party

The Pastor confirmed we cannot give tools to use drugs out, but we can accept and collect dirty/used needles and dispose of them

Kent, who has worked in the Recovery Field for numerous years, advised that we should avoid getting into ideological debates with those we are serving/supporting and instead, work to share our expectations more clearly ahead of time

‘And now London Breed is attacking harm reduction, which, she said at a Monday rally, is “not reducing the harm … it is making things far worse.”’ SF Mayor quoted in Mission Local Article

Maybe there could be a benefit of meeting halfway? Offering drug testing strips, narcan, but also encouraging people to go into a treatment program?

Which organizations are promoting Harm Reduction? M1, Anti Police-Terror Project, National Harm Reduction Coalition, SAMHSA, New York City Health Department, Stanford Medicine, Recovery Research Institute, Harm Reduction International, Healthcare for the Homeless Council, National Association for City and County Health Officials and more

Find out which Harm Reduction support they offer, and if there is any chance to meet halfway

“Clarity is Charity” —quote

Authorizes $6.38 billion in bonds to build mental health treatment facilities for those with mental health and substance use challenges; provides housing for the homeless. Legislative statute

Arguments for this proposition state that we need to get people off the streets and into treatment

Arguments against this proposition state that it’s a waste of taxpayer money and that forcing treatment is not a successful approach

This proposition would require drug tests for unhoused people receiving SSI, if they test positive for drugs, they would need to go into a recovery program

“California’s social safety net is in tatters. Thanks to deinstitutionalization, we’re short approximately 8,000 adult psychiatric beds. Proposition 1 would pass a $6.4 billion bond that will develop inpatient and residential treatment beds for people with mental health disorders and build permanent supportive housing. We all see our state’s mental health crisis up close—it’s impossible to ignore. For the first time in 50 years, this proposition funds the infrastructure needed to care for people with severe mental illnesses.” - Together SF

Proposition 1 has been passed with a narrow lead in California’s primary election, but “the contest was too close to call Wednesday with votes still being counted across the state.” - LA Times.

Hosts youth minister for outreach events, 40-50 youth

Saturday 17th, outreach in Tenderloin and Civic Center area__, donated socks and gave coffee, people prayed and talked to each other

A bridge-building relationship-growing event

We were there and were just letting people know that they’re human

Drove around a mapped area and gave Love Never Fails bracelets that have hotline numbers to help women who are victims of human trafficking have an exit route (8 bracelets given).

Variety of volunteers, from Northern California and the Southern US

The next Outreach weekend will take place in May

Meet at 3 pm

Socks, hot cocoa, protein bars, flowers

Pancakes in the park- every 2nd Tuesday

Salvation Army every 4th Friday

Combats human trafficking

Potential monthly outreach event

Very extensive volunteer onboarding process

As they need to watch out for people trying to infiltrate this organization to reverse the good work they are doing