With the announcement of the resignation Alaska Governor Sarah Palin last weekend, I’ve been reminded of times in my life when I’ve considered quitting.

My first try at college was in 1992, and I found out pretty quickly that it’s almost impossible to be in an abusive relationship and do well in school. My abuser lived on campus with me and much of my freshman year was spent in terror. The next year, I decided to drop out and move home to live with my parents. I remember feeling like a failure and wondering if I would ever go back to school. Two years later, I experienced one of the worst days of my life when I found out that my college boyfriend had killed himself. A few months after his death, I decided to quit my minimum wage job and go back to college.

My transition back to college was not a smooth one. My transcript was marred with bad grades. The admissions representative said that I could take classes for one semester on a conditional basis and if my grades were good enough, I would be accepted as a degree-seeking student. After one semester with a 3.925 grade point average, I was in.

Four years later, I graduated with honors. A few weeks after my graduation, I had the most severe episode of panic disorder that I’d ever experienced in my life. It was absolutely debilitating. I felt like a shell of my former self and I was afraid that I would never be able to function again. I was waiting to hear about a few grad school applications, and was afraid that I was going to be too sick to start grad school in the fall.

An acceptance letter from a grad school in New York City arrived in the mail at the same time that an acceptance letter for a grad program from my hometown college arrived. I decided to quit living in my hometown and to move to New York City so that I could study social work in an urban setting.

During my 3rd semester in grad school in Manhattan, I experienced something that shook me to my core: September 11, 2001. (more…)

So…what’s up with the recession?  Economists, stock traders, hedge fund managers, bookstore clerks, the bagger at the grocery store, even the random dude standing at the corner of my apartment building screaming about the end of the world all seem to be putting forth their two cents on this topic.

A couple of weeks ago, forecasters polled by the National Association for Business Economics (NABE) generally sounded optimistic – keeping in line with views held by the Fed – predicting that via a bumpy recovery, the U.S. recession should end very soon.  This recession has been termed by many as the greatest financial disaster since the Great Depression with majority of the optimists expressing opinions that it should end by the third quarter of 2009 and the remaining advocating for either the last quarter of this year or else the first quarter of 2010.

Now before I proceed, I would like to clarify my stance on the comparison of this recession with the Great Depression.  The real estate price boom between 2000 and 2007 largely is the culprit for the most recent crisis.  Economic historians have written several papers in the last year discussing such comparisons and the major similarity would appear to be the sharp drop in the stock prices in the first year following the peak of the market.

There was a drop in the Dow of 48 percent in 1930 and a drop of 37 percent in 2008.  Yet the issue in the 1920s seems to have been propelled by a quantity boom as opposed to the more recent price boom.  The latter period was fueled by low interest rates stemming from a loose monetary policy and some so-called innovative methods for breaking down discriminatory lending practices as folks with bad credit or folks who didn’t put down much in the form of down payments were allowed to take out loans.  Even those who had credit but no real source of income were allowed to take out large mortgage loans.  The background checks and good lending practices were thrown to the wind as loans were granted left and right.  Good old Fannie and Freddie proceeded to purchase huge chunks of such loans between 2004 and 2006 and we all know what happened shortly thereafter.

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It seems that every online news story about unemployment in the Bay Area is immediately met with a dozen or so user comments to the tune of “Why don’t these people just find jobs?”

To think that this simple solution works for everyone is misinformed. Many of the folks living on San Francisco streets face multiple barriers to homes, jobs, and other mainstays of “normal” life. Severe mental health issues, physical disabilities, old age, and addictive illness often hinder a person from employment.

But what about those abled bodied folks who can work? The most recent statistics from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) shows that for every open job, there were 4.1 jobless people. That means there are thousands more unemployed workers than job openings.

“I come in here five days a week and spend hours at a time filling out applications, sending in resumes, and following up with potential employers.” Robert, a client at St. Anthony Employment Program & Technology Lab told me yesterday. “I’ve lived and worked in San Francisco for 20 years. It’s never been this hard to find a job.”

As the lines at all of St. Anthony’s programs get longer we try to keep guests sustained and hopeful during these uncertain times. With thousands of applicants for every job opening in San Francisco, in a time when unemployment continues to rise, it might be awhile before everyone who can return to work will.

St. Anthony Foundation advocates for public policies that will promote nutrition and healthy eating for all, regardless of income.  We were very excited that two of the anti-hunger bills that we’ve supported for years were signed into law in 2008.

New Anti-Hunger Bills

AB 433 removes the asset test for Food  Stamp applicants.  This means that low-income families with savings or retirement accounts worth more than $2,000 will no longer be denied Food Stamps.  The passage of this bill is timely: since the bill was signed this fall, California’s unemployment rate has climbed steadlily.  AB 433 will help newly-unemployed families afford food without depleting their savings.

AB 2300 is an important step forward in helping reduce paperwork burdens on low-income families.  AB 2300 allows families who are already  enrolled in Medi-Cal (the state’s Medicaid program) to enroll their children (and maintain enrollment) in free school meals without additional paperwork.

More work ahead in 2009

During this economic downturn, a lot of political energy will be spent on figuring out how to stimulate the economy.  Economists of all stripes believe that increasing access to Food Stamps is one of the most effective ways to do this.    Not only do Food Stamps allow struggling families to put nutritious food on the table, they create a multiplier effect in local economies, with each dollar of food stamps generating $1.84 in economic activity.  This economic activity not only helps grocers and growers, but also state and local governments.

Join us for Hunger Action Day!

St. Anthony Foundation will be working with anti-hunger groups from across the state to urge our Sacramento legislators to help improve access to the Food Stamp program by:

• Simplifying the food stamp application process.
• Enacting reforms that will allow more low income single adults to access Food Stamps.
• Making it possible for more persons in drug/alcohol recovery programs to access Food Stamps and decrease the likelihood of recidivism.

Hunger Action Day will be on Wednesday May 20, 2009.  If you’d like to join St. Anthony Foundation in advocating for anti-hunger legislation at Hunger Action Day, contact Colleen Rivecca at crivecca@stanthonysf.org.

Reality Is That Donation Are Still Needed

SAN FRANCISCO, CA December 18th, 2008 St. Anthony’s is still glowing from the gift of $35,000 and set of new Technology Lab computer monitors from Gurbaksh Chahal, “secret millionaire”, as recently featured on Fox network’s new reality show by the same name. But with December marking the highest one-week filing rate of unemployment claims in the last 26-years, and the temperature dropping daily, St. Anthony’s is still stretching to meet the demand of those seeking food, warm clothing, and medical care.

To help meet the need, St. Anthony’s is preparing for its 21st anniversary of St. Anthony’s Curbside Holiday Drive. St. Anthony Foundation staff and volunteers, wearing easily identifiable red jackets, will take delivery of food, clothing, and monetary donations at curbside, so donors won’t even have to leave their cars. Donated items are distributed free of charge to San Francisco’s most needy residents.

“Whether you drive a Lamborghini or a Toyota, donations are critical to meeting the need this holiday season. In November we served 14% more meals in our Dining Room than November of  last year. We have 40% more people coming to our Free Medical Clinic than this time last year. And our Clothing Program has been unable to serve all the families that are coming to us for warm clothing,” noted St. Anthony Foundation Executive Director Fr. John Hardin.

St. Anthony Foundation’s programs help heal individuals and families by providing a gateway for solutions to poverty, including a Dining Room which serves 2600 meals every day, a free Clothing and Housewares program, an Employment Program/ Technology Lab,  Residential Drug and Alcohol Recovery Program, and a Free Medical Clinic. St. Anthony Foundation does not accept any federal, state, or local government money for its programs, and is entirely funded by private donations.

Undemployment Up And Stock Market Down Means A Longer Line At St. Anthony’s

SAN FRANCISCO, CA November 25th, 2008 St. Anthony Dining Room will serve more than 3,500 turkey dinners to the poor and homeless on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 27th. And on the Wednesday prior (November 26th), St. Anthony staff and volunteers will together be carving turkeys, making pumpkin pies, and mashing potatoes to ensure that when the doors open at 9:45 A.M. on Thanksgiving morning, there is plenty for everyone.

“With unemployment up and the stockmarket down, it is no wonder that more people will be spending Thanksgiving at St. Anthony’s. ” noted St. Anthony Executive Director Fr. John Hardin. “We are serving 20% more people in our programs than we were 5 years ago, and like everyone, our costs have gone up.”
St. Anthony’s has been running a special “drive by” food and clothing donation drive to help meet the crisis of increased demand, as more and more people turn to the 58 year old non profit for basic necessities as a result of the current economic crisis. Clean, cared-for warm clothing and canned or dried bulk foods, are especially needed.

For 57 years St. Anthony Foundation has provided free, life sustaining support for the poor and homeless. St. Anthony Foundation’s programs help heal individuals and families by providing a gateway to solutions to poverty, including a Dining Room which serves 2600 meals every day, an Employment Program/ Technology Lab, Drug and Alcohol Recovery Program, and a Free Medical Clinic. St. Anthony Foundation does not accept any federal, state, or local government money, and is entirely funded by private donations.