District 6 Family Summit

DCYF hosted the We are the City: District 6 Family Summit on Saturday, November 23, 2019 at the Gene Friend South of Market Recreation Center. Youth and families from the Tenderloin, Civic Center, Cathedral Hill, South of Market, South Beach, Mission Bay, Treasure Island, Yerba Buena Island 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 6 Family Summit. 

• Public Safety – Families feel there is a lack of public safety. Specific challenges and needs include: assault, property theft, and unlit streets in the evening/night.

• Transportation – Public transportation is unreliable and is a major pain point for youth getting to and from both school and extracurricular activities as well as for parents, particularly those who are unhoused or facing the potential of homelessness to get to and from service providers located throughout the city.

• Housing and Homelessness – Families and providers are concerned about the lack of affordable housing in San Francisco. Community feels the City has “turned its back on homeless people” and are worried about the trauma and desensitization impacting children and youth who are faced with the impact of homelessness every day.

• Access to healthy meals – District 6 is a food desert with limited options for fresh, affordable produce. School lunches do not provide quality, healthy foods.

• Youth friendliness of SF – Youth do not believe that San Francisco is youth friendly. Access to safe spaces to place and be a kid is limited and virtually nonexistent in District 6.

• Culturally relevant and competent resources –

  • There is a need for more linguistic support services;

  • Additionally, supports, especially in mental health, are burdened with high caseloads and a lack of trauma-informed, culturally responsive staff that the youth trust.

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 6 Supervisor Matt Haney for joining us. Shout out to Mestiza Catering for the delicious food spread. Shout out to Embarcadero 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.