District 9 Family Summit
DCYF hosted the We are the City: District 9 Family Summit on Saturday, November 9, 2019 at the Mission Arts Center. Youth and families from the Mission, Bernal Heights, Portola 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 9 Family Summit.
Latino/a parents felt that they did not have enough information and access to free or subsidized preschool options in their neighborhood. Many shared that there were long waitlists at the local preschool, and that the program were too short to accommodate their work schedules (e.g. preschool programs that are only 3-4 hours long, when they have an 8-hour work day).
Latino/a parents, especially those who had newly immigrated, wanted additional academic support (e.g. homework help in afterschool settings) for their children to do well in school. Parents felt that they did not have the information to be able to support their children in the way that they needed. Providers also shared that there needed to be more support for integration and acculturation of immigrant families to the American educational and child/youth services support systems.
Latino/a parents with young children shared several stories of discrimination with MUNI. Several participants shared stories where MUNI bus drivers did not lower the platform to allow them to bring a stroller on the bus, or where MUNI buses did not stop at all when they were waiting at a stop with their children in strollers.
Latino/a parents shared several challenges when it came to providing safe, affordable, and clean housing for their families. They felt that navigating the affordable housing system was very challenging, and relied on provider agencies to help them access these slots. Many Latino/a parents shared that they lived in a constant state of fear of eviction. Many shared that they were living in substandard housing with mold or rodent infestation because they were too scared to tell their landlords in the chance that it could mean that they would lose their housing.
Many parents shared concerns about the state of parks in the Mission neighborhood. Parents felt that the parks had become de facto housing for people who are homeless, and that there were hypodermic needles and trash everywhere. Families wanted parks to be cleaned more regularly. They also shared concerns about high levels of marijuana use in parks, and their children’s exposure to marijuana secondhand smoke.
Providers felt that many of the challenges facing families in Mission were also facing the nonprofit workforce. Nonprofit workers have low wages and are increasingly unable to live in this neighborhood.
Providers also shared the need for culturally competent mental health services and supports in schools for Latino/a youth. This includes more counseling support and also cultural healing activities.
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 District 9 Legislative Aide Paul Monge 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.
