District 10: Family Summit
DCYF hosted the We are the City: District 10 Family Summit on Saturday, November 9, 2019 at the Bayview Opera House. Youth and families from the Bayview Hunters Point, Potrero Hill, Dogpatch, Visitacion Valley and neighboring communities spent their Saturday afternoon 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 10 Family Summit.
Bayview residents were concerned about safety in the neighborhood. While residents in other neighborhoods shared concerns about safety related to car break-ins and homelessness, Bayview residents were concerned about gun violence, drug dealing, and police violence.
Police officers need to be trained on trauma-informed approaches and culturally competent community engagement. Cops will park their cars in the neighborhood, but never get out of their cars to get to know residents or to address the safety concerns that youth and parents see every day.
Youth and parents wanted more afterschool programs, especially those that provide homework help. They also wanted increased safety procedures around transportation to afterschool programs. Especially with the recent change in time because of daylight savings, youth and parents wanted more lighting in the streets to ensure that youth could get to afterschool programs or home safely.
A common need that has come up at many family summits is the need to improve services for children with disabilities, especially in the afterschool setting.
Many concerns were raised about McLaren Park, and the park’s procedures around community use. People of color and local residents are being forced to sign waivers or paperwork to access the work, while white people are increasingly accessing the park. In general, residents wanted McLaren Park and other parks in the Bayview to have better lighting and more recreational activities for youth.
Several households are multigenerational; families often rely on older generations in the household to participate in dropping off and picking up their children from school, making sure they are fed, etc.
The Bayview has many small provider organizations that do great work in the community, but they are not large enough to have a grant writer who can respond to city RFPs.
Gentrification is a major concern in the Bayview Hunters Point neighborhood. Residents want solutions that support and empower small businesses that are started by residents, or that attract businesses or other resources that the existing community wants.
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 Shamann Walton and Legislative Aide Percy Burch for joining us. Shout out to Mestiza Catering for the delicious food spread. Shout out to Mission YMCA 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.
