District 3 Family Summit
DCYF hosted the We are the City: District 3 Family Summit on Thursday, October 24, 2019 at the Betty Ann Ong Chinese Rec Center. Youth and families from the North Beach, Chinatown, Telegraph Hill, North Waterfront, Financial District, Nob Hill, parts of Russian Hill and neighboring communities spent their Thursday evening with us. They shared their personal stories, perspectives and experiences to help make San Francisco a great place to grow up. Here are some of the key themes highlighted in the District 3 Family Summit:
Transportation-The muni system is impacted and is effecting youth and families sense of safety and well-being. Buses are often full or not running on schedule leaving youth and families waiting for long periods of time sometimes in areas where they do not feel safe.
Neighborhood Safety- Many neighborhoods do not feel safe (drug use, robberies, and car break ins are rampant) and it is difficult to build relationships of trust with police officers who do not speak the language of the families. Young people are afraid of being robbed going to and from school and would like more patrols and workshops about what to do to prevent being robbed, what to do when being robbed, and how to report and follow up with the police afterwards.
School supports- (1) Before school care doesn’t start early enough and after school care doesn’t stay open late enough to fully support many working families’ schedules. Programs fill up fast and waiting lists are long. (2) Many immigrant parents are unable to help their kids with homework. Schools need to provide additional supports and tutors.
Affordable housing- Many families are living together in cramped living spaces and this impacts the entire family’s emotional well-being and mental health. This also impacts young people’s ability to do well in school. They do not have private, quiet spaces for homework. More family and youth friendly public spaces need to be made available to support success in school and emotional well-being.
Gentrification is impacting people’s feelings of community. Many family members and friends are being forced out of the City leaving families feeling alone and unsupported.
Access to healthy meals- Many families need to rely on school lunches to help support their children but the meals offered are not healthy or culturally appropriate.
The We Are The City Family Summits are places for City residents to make their voices heard. The stories we collect at the Summits will play a critical role in our five year planning process, ultimately guiding how the City will invest in programs and services for our children, youth and young people (ages 0-24).
Shout out to the youth and families along with Supervisor Aaron Peskin and Calvin Yan for joining us. Shout out to Mestiza Catering for the delicious food spread. Shout out to Chinatown Y for providing childcare. Shout out to the Intergraphics team for providing in language facilitation. And a special shout out to the staff of DCYF and Bright Research Group.
