City Hope SF, a nonprofit based in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood, fosters social connection, reduces isolation, and links vulnerable neighbors to vital resources by providing radical hospitality. Recognizing social connection as a core human need, City Hope creates a welcoming environment at the City Hope Community Center and City Hope Cafe. The community center provides a dinner program with restaurant-style service, providing free meals where guests are seated, greeted by name, and given menu choices. During the day, the cafe serves complimentary lattes brewed with beans from local roasters like Linea Caffe and Sightglass.

Paige Maclaren, City Hope’s program manager and finance coordinator describes the organization as “customer service and hospitality for our friends who can't afford it.” She notes, “Our goal here is to provide a space for guests to come and be and gather, over a great cup of coffee or a great meal. And that's where community happens and we have fun. The streets of the Tenderloin are really hard, and so it's just a space for [guests] to take their guards down and feel safe and known, in a community setting.”

Many members of the City Hope community are, as Paige describes, individuals “on the margins.” Some clients are currently facing or have previously struggled with addiction and homelessness, a situation compounded in recent years by the emotional and financial impacts of the pandemic. The number of people experiencing homelessness in the region rose from 28,600 in 2018 to 38,100 in 2022, based on Point-in-Time (PIT) count data from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The cafe partners with the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) to provide Hepatitis C and HIV testing. It also collaborates with San Francisco Community Ambassadors to connect guests with resources like shoes, housing, and financial education. Although they don’t provide direct services, City Hope fosters community development and dignity: “Our goal is to provide people with the dignity they deserve,” Paige says. “We partner with these great organizations who are there to come in and provide that help.”

Stephanie Baughman has been a regular at City Hope since 2018. When Stephanie first arrived in San Francisco, she was staying at a shelter nearby and would visit the cafe for a “breath of fresh air” whenever she needed a break from the shelter. She stayed because of the community and the quality service at City Hope. “It’s all home-cooked meals. It's none of this store-bought stuff. It's not pre-made, you know. It's all fresh when you get it,” she says. One of Stephanie’s favorite things about City Hope is the game nights, the evenings where they play bingo and host movie screenings because she says that “people need something that keeps their mind off their problems temporarily.”

As a transgender woman, Stephanie feels safe and supported by the staff at City Hope, a refuge from the sometimes chaotic streets of the Tenderloin. The organization’s services stand out compared to other providers in the region due to its emphasis on respect. “What makes City Hope different is they respect all who come in. If you do feel uncomfortable about the way some other client is treating you, you can always go to one of the staff and the staff will handle it. You know, if you don't feel safe because of another person messing with your gender or your race...there's a lot of support,” she says.

When Stephanie was living in the shelter, she represented a staggering statistic: of transgender residents in San Francisco County experiencing homelessness, only 19 percent are sheltered, compared to 81 percent of transgender unhoused residents who are unsheltered. Unhoused residents who identify as transgender or are non-binary or other have lower shelter rates compared to those who identify as female and male. 

Across the nine-county Bay Area, 51 out of every 10,000 residents were experiencing homelessness in 2022. Of those 51 residents, 15 were sheltered and 36 were unsheltered. In San Francisco, 96 out of every 10,000 residents were experiencing homelessness, a rate that’s exponentially higher for Black, Latinx, and Pacific Islander residents.

While this data highlights inequalities among those experiencing homelessness in the region, it’s widely acknowledged as an undercount. These figures stem from HUD’s PIT count, which captures the number of people sheltered or sleeping on the streets on a single night, relying on the support of volunteers. Although commonly cited, this methodology has notable limitations, such as inconsistencies due to volunteers’ varying understanding of types of homelessness. Additionally, it omits individuals experiencing homelessness who aren’t visible on the streets, like those couch-surfing with friends or family or staying in hotels. Some advocates recommend supplementing PIT data with service utilization records for a more comprehensive estimate of those currently experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

Stephanie accessed housing support through the South of Market Mental Health Clinic. As a result, she was able to get housing support after only a few months on the list, something that some of her peers, who have been waiting for years, have yet to experience. Once selected, she spent a year in stabilization housing while awaiting approval for her long-term apartment. Grateful to be off the street and out of shelters, she eventually moved into her current apartment. “I finally have got my own space,” she says. “I haven't had my own place in many years, and it just feels great.” 

Both Paige and Stephanie highlight the urgent need for affordable housing in San Francisco, emphasizing that stable housing provides a foundation for dignity and hope. “[People] deserve to have a roof over their heads,” Stephanie says. “I think it would give more morale and more hope and faith in what's going on in their lives.”

Learn More: Explore local data on homelessness — and learn more about the policy strategies you can support to ensure that every Bay Area resident has a safe, affordable place to live. 

Photos: Felix Uribe