Optional for who?

by Tiny and PoorNewsNetwork’s Shelter observer

We are finger printed

Photo image printed, in living color

Social Security numbers registered

My privacy invaded, My rights violated

What’s a Poor Client to do?

The homeless, elderly , disabled, wheel chair bound

Kicked out of the shelters

Belly half empty

Thrown into a Mad Rush to get a shelter ticket

Twenty blocks a way

Still you might not receive a bed

And then the Side Walk Hotel for you that evening!

"Optional for who?" PNN’s shelter observer proclaimed ,as she and I sat in deep worried discussion about the impact of Proposition N hovering over our morning coffee in the POOR Magazine breakfast room. It was free breakfast day at POOR- one of our only remaining free breakfast days due to our own organizational funding crisis in these post budget cut dog dayz of summer.

"they say optional on the fingerprinting form – but then they say, " yea, its optional – but you won’t get a shelter bed if you don’t do it", Ever since the unofficial implementation of Prop N in San Francisco’s shelter system there has been an extremely illegal, ageist, and ableist, manifestation of procedure on the very poor who seek a bed in the City. On paper and in person, Trent Roher, executive director of SF department off Human Services and his representatives have publicly stated that all of these "registration requirements" are completely optional for all people seeking a shelter bed. And then in reality all the people who actually use the services have been forced into "registering" and have encountered an impossibly confusing and difficult situation.

"The hoops they make us jump through are so crazy- nobody can do they requirements if you’re not young and healthy, the other day, I started helping all the elderly women in the shelter to get through all the requirements. They had to take two buses just to get to the registration place, where they get fingerprinted and scanned. By the time we made it there at 8:00 am, the beds were all gone, They were told to come back at 7:30 p.m that same day. to "SEE" if any were open, If none were available, they told us to come back to tomorrow,If they all weren’t so out of breath, they might have laughed.

Since the beginning of this whole process, originally inspired by SF board supervisor , Gavin Newsom,s attempt to become mayor on the backs of the poorest people in San Francisco, Sf Department of Human Services has begun the default implementation of a Prop N "alike" set of rules and regulations which results in making San Francisco’s shelter system impossible for most people, meanwhile, poor folks and advocates gear up for a July 8th hearing/debate between Newsom’s prop N, Jake Mcgoldricks’ anti-displacement legislation which will make it illegal to prioritize shelter beds at all and Chris Daly’s legislation which makes funding go into housing instead of shelter.

"If they vote in Prop N without McGoldrick’s legislation being passed – me and the other disabled elders, working poor and immigrants in the shelters – are out – its that simple, I don’t know what to do" She drained her coffee cup with an angry thump and neither of us knew what to say to each other – I tried to look strong and inspiring but at this moment, I was unable to…

Postscript; At the Tuesday, July 15th BOard meeting McGoldricks' legislation passed unanimously - Newsom's legislation was tossed around and ended up being sent back to committee for further discussion (read:time wasting)