My Grandmother’s birthday is creeping up at the end of month, and again I’m faced with the challenge of knowing I can not possibly purchase anything that will show how much I care for her.  There comes a time when you stop making jokes about how cluttered her house it, when you realize all the little knick-knacks are not her own doing.  It is the years of children, grand-children and now even great-grandchildren trying to figure out what to get to show love and appreciation to this woman who was once expelled for being so daring as to wear pants to school, who has seen wars waged, freedom’s won, lived through the Great Depression, seen the race to space, what could I present to her as a token of my appreciation?

Time.  Time is that thing you can never find enough of, no matter who you are.  Smiles, laughter, and sharing memories.  Even if they aren’t my own, but giving her the audience to recall her memories and what brings her joy.  I have found this is something people appreciate more than I had ever realized.  Every day on my way to work, I pass many folks on the street and I make a point of smiling, giving a compassionate nod, offering a word in empathy, and compassion.  Not sympathy or pity.  Most often folks don’t have children still around, or companions to listen to their stories, to give them an ear or an audience.  I believe that is the draw the St. Anthony Dining Room and our other services.  Creating that space for people to find a community, to share a meal, to talk to volunteers and share stories with our student volunteers.  Reconnect.

It seems like the most simple thing ever, but when you boil it all down, that’s what all of us want.  A smile, words of kindness, and an ear to share stories and laughter.  It makes me really proud to be a part of an organization that can offer that to folks who could probably use a few extra smiles, and the gift of time and compassion.

Another great thing about the gift of time, it doesn’t require dusting.

While it appears national homelessness rates may be in decline, the numbers tell a different story for the housed working poor. According to a recent report released by the Brookings Institution, which studied poverty rates from 1999 to 2005, the percentage of working poor in large metropolitan areas has soared 40% in the first half of the decade. These numbers come as little suprise in light of the slumping economy caused by a dot-com bust, September 11th, and a slow recovery. What’s scary is that these statistics predate $4 per gallon gas costs, even higher unemployment rates, and exorbitant food costs–all likely to paint an even worse picture for the working poor.

“Given the backsliding evident by 2005, and the weak economic forecasts ahead, it seems likely that we will finish the current decade having ceded some of the ’stunning progress’ against concentrated poverty we achieved during the prior decade,” says the authors.

These national figures echo what we’ve learned on a local level.  Our most recent survey of guests in St. Anthony Dining Room concluded that, while more guests are housed, there are growing numbers of working poor families that struggle with hunger.  Each year, in fact, we welcome more working poor guests through our doors, not just for food, but for free healthcare, clothing, job training, and other vital services.

In times like these, it’s good to know that people can still turn to St. Anthony’s.

Last Wednesday David Sheff, author of “Beautiful Boy” came down to St. Anthony Foundation’s new home at 150 Golden Gate Avenue to talk to staff and residents of The Father Alfred Treatment Center. David shared his experience, strength and hope with the St. Anthony community in his son’s trials and triumphs in dealing with the disease of alcoholism and addiction.

He brought up a many valid points that got me to thinking: We’ve known addiction is a clinical disease since 1935. For 65 years, prior to the passage of Proposition 36 in 2000, California imprisoned people for having a chronic and debilitating disease that has no known cure without an alternate option for treatment. California currently spends approximately $80 per person per day on incarcerating inmates. St. Anthony Foundation’s Rehabilitation Programs are $25 a day. Untold billions of dollars have been spent giving sick individuals extended “time outs” that have done nothing to address their illness.

The disease of addiction can, however, be arrested and go into remission. We’ve been helping people along their path in recovery since 1951, allowing participants up to a year to learn, grow, and heal in a safe and supportive environment.

San Francisco has a unique opportunity in the November election to support city funding for the creation of housing that’s affordable to low- and middle-income San Franciscans.

The San Francisco Housing Fund will be on the November 4 ballot, and we are looking for volunteers who would like to be part of a speakers bureau that will help to educate the community about the measure. Volunteers will be trained to speak to community organizations and church groups about the SF Housing Fund, and will be able to sign up for speaking engagements.

The Housing Fund has scheduled two trainings for the speakers bureau to accommodate as many volunteer speakers as possible.

1) Tuesday, August 19, 10:00 AM – noon: 1095 Market @ 7th Street, 7th floor. Community Housing Partnership.

2) Wednesday, August 20, 6:00 – 8:00 PM: 405 Shrader Street @ Oak Street. Council of Community Housing Organizations.

To sign up for a training, call St. Anthony Foundation Advocacy Coordinator, Colleen Rivecca @ 592-2729 or email crivecca@stanthonysf.org.

San Francisco has the highest rate of tuberculosis (TB) in the U.S., with recurrent outbreaks among the homeless and marginally housed, according to the most recent study on homelessness and TB by Harvard Medical School. Additionally, the Tenderloin has the highest rates of TB in San Francisco. To address this health care crisis, St. Anthony’s will offer free tuberculosis screening on Wednesday August 13th, 2008, as a part of National Health Care for the Homeless Day. According to findings released at last week’s International AIDS Society conference in Mexico City, TB is one of the leading causes of AIDS mortality. In the last two weeks both the World Heath Organization and Journal of the American Medical Association have urged expanded screening for communities in which HIV and TB intersect. Screening for the deadly airborne bacteria is also critical for San Francisco homeless, as all San Francisco city shelter clients must provide current TB test documentation to stay in city run shelters.

“The highest rates of TB are found in the Tenderloin. Although we test all of our scheduled patients for TB, this additional outreach for screening will help bring more people into the folds of healthcare and treatment, which is good for everyone. The more people we can test, the more people we can get treated,” noted St. Anthony Free Clinic Medical Director, Dr. Ana Valdes.

WHEN: NATIONAL HEALTHCARE FOR THE HOMELESS DAY/TB SCREENING
Wednesday, August 13th, 2008
Special Screening Hours 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

WHERE: St. Anthony’s (New Green Facilities)
150 Golden Gate, San Francisco

St. Anthony Free Medical Clinic is one of the many free, life-sustaining programs and services of St. Anthony Foundation that helps to heal individuals and families. The Clinic provides over 12,000 patient visits annually, of which approximately 25% are pediatric visits. St. Anthony Foundation is not funded by federal, state, or local government money, and is entirely supported by private donations.

According to a recent NY Times article, the Department of Housing and Urban Development claims a significant drop in the number of chronically homeless in the U.S., down from 175,914 in 2005 to 123,833 in 2007. Officials attribute this dramatic 30% decline to a “housing first” approach that focuses on securing stable housing for homeless people struggling with drug addiction and mental illness, who are characteristially the hardest to help in the homeless community.

Many advocates for the homeless, however, have criticized the findings because they ignore poor working families living on the margins–in motels, shelters, or with friends and family. “We should be focused on ending homelessness for everybody, not just a small segment of the homeless population,” said Michael Stoops, the acting director of the National Coalition for the Homeless.

Nonetheless, the stats are encouraging (albeit best taken with a grain of salt). Certainly we’re nowhere near closing St. Anthony’s doors for lack of need, but it’s good to hear that we might be one step closer to that lofty goal.

Warren Hellman and Nancy Bechtle, Honorary Chairs of the St. Anthony Foundation Raising The Roof II Gala, grace the cover of July’s Nob Hill Gazette. Why the yellow hard hats? Because there’s still work to do! We’ve finished the construction of 150 Golden Gate, the new home of St. Anthony Free Medical Clinic, The Social Work Center, and The Learning Program. Now we’re gearing up to rebuild St. Anthony Dining Room.

Tickets went on sale this weekend. Book your table now and secure good seats for an evening celebration of Health, Hope and Human Dignity.

Yesterday, Time Magazine & New York Times reported a 30% drop in the number of chronically homeless people living in the nation from 2005 to 2007. Officials attributed much of this decline to Congress’s policy shift , called the “housing first” strategy. Over the last eight years, local officials have placed the chronically homeless into shelters while providing services for drug addiction, mental illness and health problems.

While this decline shows much hope for further phenomenona, we look at the bigger picture and see that the chronically ill make up only 18% of the entire homeless population. The total decline in homelessness from 2005 to 2007 was actually 12%, falling from 763,010 to 671,888. A shocking 41% of this number are families.

Some advocates say that the “housing first” strategy focus only on the chronically ill, while homeless families and those classified in margins are falling behind. “We should be focused on ending homelessness for everybody, not just a small segment of the homeless population,” said Michael Stoops, the acting director of the National Coalition for the Homeless. The number of families struggling to find housing is only rising as recent federal cuts strike affordable housing programs. As we see the number of foreclosures increase, more families and individuals may slowly be pushed towards the streets.

Nonetheless, the unprecedented decline in the chronically ill homeless proves the impact of rehabilitating services. Martha R. Burt, a research associate at the Urban Institute who has studied homelessness for more than two decades said, “These are the people who everyone thought were hopeless: the undeserving poor. They’re not hopeless. You can get them into housing, and for the most part they will not go back into the street if they have the right supportive services.” This improvement proves not only the impact of targeted resources but also the potential of what more services can do for those of us who are stuck in hard times.