At a recent retreat for the St. Anthony Foundation Board, we held back the demands of a busy agenda long enough to listen to some reflections on the 58 year history of this organization. This “History 101” was presented by a friar/historian who teaches at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, Joe Chinnici, OFM. He traced the work of St. Anthony’s through six decades by focusing on: the historical context, the “roads not taken,” and the changing faces of the poor that St. Anthony’s serves.

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Maybe I am a glutton for punishment. Perhaps I like to have my buttons pushed. Sometimes I just can’t help myself, and that social activist that I thought I had snuffed out after college flares back up.

Despite better judgement, today I read C. W. Nevius’ column. Now I will not dive into a tirade against this writer. All press is good press the saying goes, so I can find some solace that issues of homelessness and poverty are being given some light in our city’s major media outlets. I find deeper reprieve seeing the dialogue his column has inspired, uniting activists, service providers and community leaders to speak out against misconceptions and generalizations being pandered.

“So is this the beginning of a new age of cooperation and camaraderie in the Tenderloin?” Nevius asks. I wonder where he has been looking. The Tenderloin’s non-profits have pulled together with the common cause to support it’s ailing population long before C. W. Nevius narrowed his scope to pick apart and patronize the neighborhood. He is right, we cannot do it alone. Therein lies the problem. Non-profits know that, and have bonded together to create the safety net that sustains this neighborhood, and others from atrophied public services.

There is no one group that can “solve” the problems of homelessness and poverty. However, working together with the support of dedicated local community and business partners against a history of scrutiny and disregard, come to the Tenderloin and you will see that daily there are people here stepping up to the challenge.

As the resident Clinic Liaison I’d like to, once again, highlight one of the great services that makes our Free Medical Clinic so unique–our Diabetes Care Management Program.

As you can imagine, living in poverty makes it extremely difficult to meet basic needs, much less manage a debilitating condition like diabetes. In the Tenderloin, so many of our neighbors have incomes too low to afford necessities like housing, food, healthcare, transportation, and childcare. Our neighbors without a home have to worry where they will sleep each night. Those without insurance often lack access to preventative care, and delay seeking care until a condition becomes urgent.

The Clinic understands the barriers our patients face in maintaining good health under these circumstances. Through our Diabetes Care Management Program we help empower diabetic patients with the education and support to take control of their diabetes and improve their health. We help each patient develop a plan for healthy living that works with their limited schedule and budget. We give patients free glucometers for blood sugar monitoring and teach them how to use the device. During group education classes, we bring patients together for counseling, diabetes education, and a forum for sharing their experiences.

The Diabetes Care Management Program also provides a point of entry for our diabetic patients into St. Anthony’s network of care. Patients struggling with stress or depression can meet with our therapist for individual counseling or group meditation classes. They can meet with a Social Worker to access free nutritious food and connect with other city resources. And, of course, patients are always welcome in the Clinic for primary care and other vital services to meet all of their healthcare needs.

It brings me joy to know how many of our guests benefit from services like the Diabetes Care Management Program. To learn more about this and other programs of St. Anthony Free Medical Clinic click here.

Today I woke up to my morning paper and found—Ghasp!—some optimism in Paul Krugman’s column. Yes, this is my second blog entry, and so far I’m two-for-two in mentioning Paul Krugman. Is this a coincidence or some sort of conscious effort on my part? There is insufficient data to tell at this point.

There is, however, some data that lends credibility to Krugman’s albeit ominous optimism concerning current market conditions. Only 20,000 jobs were cut in April—about 60,000 fewer than expected. The GDP grew by 0.6 percent in the first quarter, representing slow growth yet growth nonetheless. Moreover, the Dow is back up to hovering at around 13,000 points, up over 1,000 points since plunging at the beginning of the year.

These indicators seem to point in the direction that this recession—if it even is one—will avoid the standard recession-defining two consecutive quarters of economic contraction. I should mention, however, that Krugman still managed to inject some good old healthy pessimism into his column by suggesting that the recent market stabilization will probably stifle any efforts for what he sees as crucially needed regulation in the financial markets. I offer a bleak outlook for different reasons.

You can peak into a standard 401(k) portfolio and notice some substantial gains in recent weeks. You can also find a little bit of comfort in knowing that up to $600 is on its way courtesy of the economic stimulus package. Times aren’t looking so bad for those on the middle tier of America’s socioeconomic ladder. It sounds like time to splurge: take a vacation, buy season tickets to your favorite baseball team, or buy that 13-inch plasma television you’ve always wanted. Right?

But in the face of exorbitant commodities inflation, what good does it do to have a retirement portfolio that grows at only 5-9% per year if you’re lucky, or to have 600 bucks of extra expendable income if you paid enough taxes to even warrant the full rebate? Furthermore, what about those who don’t have stock portfolios, pension plans, or income at all for that matter? Again, there is insufficient data to tell at this point, but things don’t look so good.

Start with a mess of housing deflation, add a tinge of healthcare and education inflation, toss in a $120 barrel of crude oil, mix with farming subsidies, and smother with exorbitantly inflated food prices and you’ve got a perfect recipe for increased poverty. I’m not our resident economist, but my guess is that the current commodities crisis will lead to more poverty, both here and abroad.

We’ve already been witnessing an increasing amount of working poor using our basic services the last several years.

Though I’m not optimistic about this situation, I am optimistic that St. Anthony Foundation will continue to meet the needs of the hungry in our community—even as the numbers of those who are hungry will undoubtedly rise.

If you tell Barbara Coleman that there is a bill coming up in Congress that relates to poverty or hunger, her first response is, “When do we go? I need to talk to those people.”

As a formerly homeless woman who has fought many battles with poverty, hunger, and homelessness, Barbara felt that the story of her survival fell on deaf ears at many of the places she turned to for help. But she knew that her story was representative of so many around her — people who were struggling to piece together enough food to eat for a day, a safe place to sleep for the night, or medical care when they become ill. In working with St. Anthony’s Advocacy Program, Barbara has learned that her story is important for policy makers and other advocates to hear.

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St. Anthony Foundation’s Father Floyd made Leah Garchik’s gossip column in The San Francisco Chronicle this week!

“… Father Floyd, as he’s called, said that when he encountered Obama [at his San Francisco fundraising party], he asked him directly whether he’d be an advocate for the poor. Did he know that 1 percent of the military budget could feed the poor? …”

Read the entire article here.