Twice last month, Mayor Gavin Newsom gathered the faithful press to proclaim the good news: homelessness is down, the welfare rolls are down, and spirits are up in the fair city of St. Francis. As usually happens after these love-fests masquerading as press conferences, most of the stories in the media printed the rosy picture described by the Mayor, shelving that pesky old journalistic principle that used to insist that the official version be challenged, rather than uncritically parroted to the public at large.

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Los Angeles’ most progressive City Council has once again shocked both individuals and organizations that successfully fight for the human, social and civil rights of L.A.’s neediest residents. The decision to appeal the 9th Circuit ruling banning the widespread use of 41.18d, the local ordinance that allows law enforcement to move homeless people around with impunity, marks a sad day for all Angelenos. A day where we continue to power forward for some while moving in rapid regression for others; a day where racism rears its head for all to and that the reality of gentrification takes center stage. The timing of this decision could not come at a worse time and the highly racialized, visible, politics of the progressive wing of city government threatens to carve an even deeper chasm between Black & Brown relations.

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On Monday, May 15th I was standing at the bottom of the escalators to the BART station at Powell Street selling my Street Sheets. I glanced up towards the escalators, and noticed that Mayor Gavin Newsom was talking to my friend Rob. Newsom says a few words to Rob and Rob goes up the escalator.

I think to myself, “The Mayor is giving out money.” So I make my way towards him and proceed to sell my papers.

Mayor Newsom approaches me and says, “I am going to have to ask you to leave. We don’t want you guys selling Street Sheets down here anymore.” I asked him why. He says, “We have received a few complaints.”

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President Bush’s 2007 budget includes a proposal to add $184 million to HUD’s McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grant program. Under the President’s proposal, however, these funds would be reserved for the “Samaritan Permanent Housing Bonus,” a currently unauthorized program that would provide supportive housing and case management services to “single adults with disabilities who have been homeless for over a year, or at least four times over a three year period.”

Not only are families, children, youth, non-disabled individuals and persons with disabilities who fail to meet the definition of “chronically homeless” ineligible for these funds, the combination of housing and case management that is contemplated under the Samaritan Permanent Housing Bonus is already allowed under the McKinney-Vento program. Therefore, a new program is not needed – especially because such a program would tie the hands of current grantees, as funds could not be used for supportive services beyond case management – such as mental health and substance abuse treatment, or job training assistance.

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During the month of May, families all over the United States celebrated Mother’s Day. This is a time when we honor probably one of the most difficult while rewarding jobs mankind has been faced with—parenting. While we individually celebrate our own mothers, collectively we have been dishonoring mothers facing severe poverty and homelessness. While some mothers received flowers on Mother’s Day—homeless mothers had no place to even put a vase. There are 2,700 members of homeless families in San Francisco. Families are stuck in the shelter system, doubling up with family members, or squashed into tiny single-room occupancy hotel rooms. Meanwhile, children are suffering the consequences of our society’s negligence with higher rates of serious and chronic health problems, developmental delays, mental health problems, academic failures, behavioral problems and hunger and poor nutrition.

On May 10, the Coalition on Homelessness held a press conference where homeless families and their supporters demanded that City Hall end the suffering of homeless mothers and provide safe, affordable housing now. The press conference was covered by KQED, KTVU, KPFA and other local media outlets. Speaking at the press conference were homeless families themselves, John Avalos from Supervisor Chris Daly’s office, Coalition and other community organization representatives. The message was loud and clear—If you truly honor mothers provide housing immediately!

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What the Current Policy Requires: San Francisco’s Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance of 2001 mandates that any new housing development (or conversion) of 10 or more units must reserve 10% of its units to be sold or rented at “below market rate”—they are commonly referred to as BMR units. Developers may choose to build BMRs off-site at a higher percentage (15%). Whether on-site or off-site, these percentages go still higher for any development requiring a conditional use permit (to 12% for on-site, and 17% for off-site). Alternatively, developers can opt to pay to the City’s Affordable Housing Fund an in-lieu fee which is intended to equal the gap between the cost to develop a unit and the amount a targeted household can afford to pay.

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