As many as a third of San Francisco’s unhoused population live in Bayview Hunters Point. City government has long ignored our communities. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed and exacerbated existing inequities, leading to painful public health crises during the pandemic. The Advocates’ Outreach programs focus on addressing the needs of unhoused individuals and difficult to reach communities in our neighborhood.
Unhoused Outreach
Our homelessness outreach workers regularly canvass encampments, vehicular housing, tents, and unhoused individuals in Bayview Hunters Point, assessing community needs, connecting individuals to services, and collaborating on projects developed by the Advocates and the San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. We assemble and distribute 250 produce boxes a week to unhoused and food- insecure neighbors in Bayview Hunters Point.
Public Health Outreach
We are the primary San Francisco-based partner of the regional UMOJA Health COVID-19 initiative. We recruit, train, and lead cohorts of residents, youth, and volunteers to reach marginalized communities and vulnerable populations for education, testing, vaccination, and connection to treatment. Our efforts focus on labor-intensive work in under-resourced and underserved communities, where there are gaps in COVID-19 awareness and vaccinations.
In SF UMOJA’s first four months, we:
- Made 1114 direct contacts, and secured 223 vaccinations.
- Signed up 136 individuals for vaccination appointments through mobile outreach.
- Distributed more than 330,000 items of PPE and santizer to our neighborhood via corner stores and allied community organizations.
- Developed and supported community and youth events, including tabling at grocery stores, commercial districts, churches, and schools.
