San Francisco Department of Human Services
170 Otis St, San Francisco, CA 94103
To contact the SF Department of Human Services go to: http://www.sfhsa.org/466.htm
Their entire website can be viewed in English, Cantonese and Spanish.
The San Francisco Department of Human Services is a government run and funded center. While it’s technically part in the zip code 94103, and is three blocks north of our zip code, The SF Department of Human Services is the largest and most well funded human services institution in both 94110 and 94103 so it’s essential to include.
The SF Department of Human Services is part of the larger “Human Services Agency”
A look at the leaders and structure of the HSA and Department of Human Services
According to their website:
“HSA is a department of the City and County of San Francisco and the central resource for public assistance in the city. Our mission is to promote well-being and self-sufficiency among individuals, families and communities in San Francisco. HSA was formed in 2004 with the merger of two previously existing city departments, the Department of Human Services and the Department of Aging and Adult Services. The agency retains two commissions and two department heads.”
What does the Department of Human Services help with?
Food Assistance:
Restaurant Meals Program “If you are elderly, disabled, or homeless, you can use your CalFresh EBT card to purchase prepared food from restaurants registered with the CalFresh Restaurant Meals Program.”
Meals for Seniors “This new program for adults 60 or older and their spouse/partners regardless of age, provides healthy and nutritious meals at a designated restaurant.”
Calfresh “CalFresh is a benefit that helps low-income people and families buy food. CalFresh is a federally mandated, state-supervised, and county-operated government program designed to eliminate hunger in the United States.”
Financial Assistance: “If you are an unemployed, underemployed or disabled San Franciscan, there are a variety of cash aid assistance programs that can help you. Which program you qualify for depends on whether you are single or have children living with you, if you are able to work or are disabled, and your citizenship status.”
Housing and Homeless Services:
Eviction Prevention Services ”We provide eviction prevention services that include funds to pay back rent to prevent eviction, one-time rental assistance, security deposit funds to move into permanent housing, legal services, counseling, and other support services.”
Emergency Housing Services
Project Homeless Connect “Project Homeless Connect can connect you with many free services and programs all in the same day.”
Health Care Coverage: “Medi-Cal is a public health insurance program that offers eligible individuals and families access to free or low-cost health care coverage.”
Family and Children Services:
Support for families
Support for children and emancipated youth
Employment and Job Training: “HSA is responsible for providing employment services for San Francisco's public assistance recipients, as well as offering services to the general public through its Career Link Centers. HSA collaborates with many local community agencies to provide specific vocational services, as well as with the City's Office of Economic and Workforce Development.”
One thing the Human Services Agency does that many non-government agencies do is publish its findings in studies, logs of the work it has done, and many other important documents.
Some of its most interesting publications:
A publication about income inequality in San Francisco. This publication compares San Francisco to other cities, and looks at how the difference between 1990, 2000 and 2012. It finds that San Francisco has the highest proportion of very wealthy persons (people with over 30 million dollars) of any other large city along with many other interesting statistics.
A publication on the changing of neighborhoods in San Francisco. This publication looks deeply at the change going on in San Francisco within neighborhoods. It analyzes the racial shifts, age shifts, wealth shifts, and much more from 1990 to 2000 to 2012. This publication also specifically highlights the changes going on in the Mission and has a wealth of statistics regarding the economic/class shift happening in the Mission.
A count of homeless in each neighborhood over the years. This publication looks at how homelessness has increased in specific neighborhoods much more than it has in others. It gives a very good picture of what the different parts of the Mission look like regarding homelessness.
(source) A public housing report. This report looks at how public housing is used in San Francisco, and specifically within each area. While this publication doesn’t talk about 94110 specifically, it reports on the larger area surrounding the Mission. It also gives a very helpful look at who is using public housing, and analyzes the age, race, class, and gender of the people living in public housing.
There are far more helpful publications which can be found here, but these were the most applicable to the Mission.
The San Francisco Department of Human Services is the fix-all human services agency in San Francisco. Its focus is on ensuring all people can live comfortable lives, and it focuses on people of less wealthy classes, providing things like free meals and food stamps. Its location directly above 94110 gives us a picture about the people who most need these services.