How are you celebrating Mother's Day?

If you are doing something for Mother's Day, I bet it involves celebrating with a roof over your head...

Will I be at City Hall on Friday with my camera taking a sh*tload of photos and finding more families to talk to? Hell YES.

Coincidence? Perfect timing... whatever it is, it's also pathetic. Will I see you there, too? City Hall on Friday.

***

For Immediate Release Press Contact:

May 5, 2009 Miguel Carrera, 415-346-3740 x 319

Jennifer Friedenbach, 415-346-3740 x306

MEDIA ADVISORY

MOTHERS HOLD MOTHER’S DAY PRESS CONFERENCE ON THE ECONOMICAL DOWN TURN

When: Friday, May 8, 2009, 11:00

Where: Steps of City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton Goodlett Place, San Francisco

What: Homeless mothers are holding a press conference to decry the lack of response from the Mayor’s office on the doubling of homeless families in San Francisco since the recession.

San Francisco—San Francisco, like cities across the nation, is seeing a dramatic spike in the number of families requesting emergency shelter. The city of San Francisco has enough homeless families to fill a small, rapidly growing town. Yet, this issue has received very loud silence coming out of the Mayor’s office.

According to Connecting Point, in the summer of 2007, the average number of homeless families waiting to be placed into shelters was 75. In the summer of 2008, that average doubled to 150 families. Since then, there have been anywhere from 150 to 190 families waiting to be placed into shelters. The recession has taken a tremendous toll on our low-income families, and homeless families are calling on the Mayor’s office to respond.

Studies have show that homelessness has negative impacts on our youth’s health, development and education. Mothers are becoming more and more concerned for their children’s well being.. They are in awe at the fact that the city has not responded to the tragic outcome of our recession. Homeless parents will be presenting their solutions and will be asking for a meeting with the Mayor. Homeless parents active with the Coalition on Homelessness have been calling for a meeting with the Mayor for the past two years, and have not been granted one.

For Mother’s Day, the mothers of the homeless community would like to spend their day securing their children’s future. Homeless parents will be calling for additional affordable housing units, a lifting of the time limit on a locally funded housing subsidy, and increased homeless prevention funding. San Francisco has adopted the “Housing First” policy which was created to swiftly house homeless single adults. The mothers are fed up with the lack of action from City Hall, and are demanding that the “Housing First” policy that was adopted by San Francisco be implemented for families in their time of need.

According to Jenise Standfield of SRO Families United, “Our families need real “rapid housing” not “rapid homelessness"!

My Superhero Cape Is Getting Heavy

Guys, listen up. I'm so so incredibly appreciative that people keep picking up K's story and running with it: yesterday again we got shout-outs on SFist and Eye on Blogs AND now I'm BlogHer of the Week at BlogHer (which is huge and I'm really grateful... thanks, Jory!) but I gotta tell you, I'm a practical person and I just want to get shit done.

I'll be very honest and tell you what I need to help K and the kids and what I don't.

What I don't need (ie., stuff that raises my blood pressure):

• Any more comments telling me how nice I am or how great it is about what I'm doing. I'm not doing this to get my angel wings. If you think what I'm doing is great, don't just talk about it-- DO something. Tell your friends, post this story somewhere. Donate some money. HELP.
  
• Any more lists about places I can call, please. I have every fricking last one of them.
  
• Any more smart ass comments about The System. Trust me, I know The System is fucked. Comments like that don't help.
  

What I need and this is the plain and honest truth:

• I need a sublet, a single bedroom apartment or a hotel room with a kitchenette to rent for K and the kids from now until the end of August in San Francisco. That's it. It's that simple. With the donations I've received, if there is a good hearted landlord out there (and I'm guessing there has to be at least one) I need a place where this little family can stay until their permanent housing comes through in September. Budget is obviously a consideration.
  

Now honestly, with all of the attention out there about K's story, this part should be a walk in the park. I just can't do it all by myself. I don't know every person and possibility in San Francisco. Please don't email me Craigslist ads. I want solid leads or people who know people who can do something tangible.

So you guys that really want to help... help me find a place for them to live in the city. Somewhere in the city that's decent, with a little kitchen and a bedroom. The kids are in school until the middle of June and then they are in summer school with their little pals. So we're not taking them out of the city.

That's it. That's what we need. If I can, I'll pay for it in advance even. No Section 8, just a little sublet to rent till the end of the summer. This family is quiet and sweet. The kids are precious and fun to be around. The baby is adorable.

After that, then we can talk about more clothing, toys, etc. I mean, if you don't have a closet to put your clothes in or room on the floor to play on, having piles of toys and clothes piled in the tiny place you DO have just makes it harder to live normally. Having a kitchen where your mom can make you breakfast or where she can whip up her famous mac 'n cheese casserole is a hell of a lot better than eating KFC and Carl's Junior all the time because you don't have a kitchen.

So who's stepping up to the plate with me? If we get this housing part done, then hell, I don't know what I'll do for you yet but it could totally involve showering you with kisses and giving you my undying gratitude. And perhaps just knowing that you were a superfucking action hero and that I'll share my cape with you, because YOU helped save a family-- that might be the reward in itself.

Let's finish this story and make our own. In the happiest way possible.

Little tremors

you feel that way sometimes

I wasn't even going to write a post today (it's Monday, and there's a stressful vibey thing going through the office... more closed door meetings, ugh) and then a little rolling tremble rumbled under our feet.

We're so tired or blah or whatever that we all look at each other and say, Was that an earthquake? (We're on the 9th floor.)

Or was that a truck?

Whatever.

It did end up being a earthquake south of here, rolling all the way up to the city and under our Aeron chairs, but maybe we needed a little jolt today.

***

Last night I went out tango dancing for a while but the jolt I needed there was missing so I left early. Another off vibe but that's just how it is sometimes.

The wise man says "No Trespassing."

Since it was almost dusk, I decided to catch some last shots in Chinatown before heading home. It's such a different place when the tourists are gone and the shops are closed.

Got some interesting photos of lights and lanterns.

And as the new moon rose over Chinatown last night, a perfect thin sliver of white, I couldn't help but notice how thinly divided we are in this city.

The building immediately in front, with the fire escapes, is a typical aging Chinatown storefront, selling cheap bric-a-brac, the same stuff sold in every touristy shop up and down Grant Street. The building behind it is the back of the Ritz-Carleton Hotel, one of the most expensive hotels in the city.

As I'm taking this photo, a little voice says behind me, good morning, help.

She is wrinkled, with a face like an apple doll and hunched over a cane. I can hardly make out her English. Good morning, help.

Then she says, I'm hungry. That I understand.

I had a dollar in my coat pocket. That's all I had but at least I know in Chinatown she can get something to eat for a dollar.

***

Some days I do get weary here. Don't get me wrong. This place isn't a postcard. It's like Kathryn described in her piece in i live here: SF. I can see what happens here. But there's enough beauty to make it worthwhile.

Thanks to Kathryn's blog, I found this wonderful video: "San Francisco" by Jill Sobule. I think I've watched this at least ten times already. It makes me misty eyed. This song makes me realize why I live here and love it even when I'm weary.



She shuts the door behind me, waits for me to get undressed
She ask if I need water, I can barely understand her
I think she asked me what I do and I said that I'm a singer
She laughs and claps her hands
And then she begins
And she sings:

"I like to go to San Francisco
I like to go
Put flowers in my hair
I like to go to San Francisco
I like to meet
Some people there"

She looks just like a sparrow, but she's strong just like a wrestler
She kneads and pulls and climbs on top
It hurts, but I will try to take it
Ask her if she's ever been
Been to San Francisco
She tells me that she can't leave
They won't let her leave
She sings:

"I like to go to San Francisco
I like to go
Put flowers in my hair
I like to go to San Francisco
I like to meet
Some people there"

And in Golden Gate Park
[ Jill Sobule Lyrics are found on www.songlyrics.com ]
She'll throw a Frisbee
She'll bring a dog
And she'll meet a boy
And they'll fall in love
And she'll feel so free
Still walk on his back

Wonder 'bout the place I'm in and how they treat the girls
I know that it's legitimate
But still it makes me wonder
She gets up to leave
And I put back on my clothes
I tip her well, she bows to me
I really hope one day she gets to go

"...To San Francisco
I like to go
Put flowers in my hair
I like to go to San Francisco
I like to meet
Some people there" (Some people there)

La la la la la la la la
La la la la
La la la la
La la la la la la la la
La la la la
La la la la
La la

I need to borrow your bathrobe, STAT

If it's cotton terry, hunter green (or even olive), with a hood (and it has to be long, no monogram), I need to borrow your robe for Saturday night.

I already have the red pageboy wig with bangs. All is need is the robe.

And I can't find any bathrobes (men's or women's) in this city of 750,000 people. Funny, you can buy a bong in any freaking color of the rainbow on practically any given block in town, but where's a goddamn hunter green terrycloth bathrobe with a hood when you need one?

Nowhere, that's where. Did bathrobes all of a sudden become terribly passé and I just found out about it?

Trust me, I looked everywhere today. And this is very important.

I won't get makeup or perfume on your robe. I am only wearing it to go bowling.

And if you really think you know me, then you've already figured out why.

***

ps.: Back in the day before the craziness started (this morning, I don't know what the reason was last week), Modern Tanguera turned in a fabulous interview and I totally spaced on telling you about it. But you should read her interview. She's mucho cool.

I'm sorry, MT. I didn't mean to space on you like that! xoxo

Desperately Seeking Sponsor

January 25, 2009

Department of Employment, Tourism, Mental Health and Grants for the Arts
City Hall
San Francisco, California

Dear Sir/Madam,

Please excuse the formality of this letter as I had hoped to speak with someone in your office. However, I could not find your office so this letter must be my voice and representative.

As you may or may not know, I am a resident of San Francisco and have been on a "Staycation" (aka, vacation at home due to insufficient funds for travel abroad). At first, I was ambivalent as to the quality of the vacation I would enjoy here, even though as a resident I feel that San Francisco is one of the best places to live. I had my sights set on more exotic locations.

However, I must admit that this has been one of the best holidays I have ever had, which is why I am contacting you today.

Due to my increased productivity and overall enjoyment of life in general, I would like to request a grant of sufficient monies (including health care) so that I might continue my Staycation and not have to go back to work tomorrow. The benefits to me as a happy citizen (and registered voter, I might add) would not even begin to compare to the benefits that San Francisco as a city would reap due to my redoubled efforts to promote our city by taking thousands of photos and writing about my adventures on my blog. The amount of time such PR takes is tremendous and even now I have only been able to describe a fraction of the fun I've had, not to mention the delicious meals I've enjoyed around town and the new friends I've made.

I think I could greatly improve San Francisco's image and overcome some disturbing stereotypes that may be disrupting tourism.

Also, I am incredibly bummed at the thought of going back to the office tomorrow (it's almost too much to bear) and this grant would allow me to continue in the lifestyle I have become accustomed in the past two weeks.

Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to hearing from you soon (today would be great but I'm guessing your office is closed on Sundays).

Very most sincerely and incredibly appreciatively yours,

Julie

ps.: I have enclosed a photo from the last Staycation I had so you will know that my request is quite serious. Until now, I had not had a Staycation since that photo was taken.

pss.: I am the one in the plaid pants.

psss.: PLEASE help me and give me a grant so I can stay on Staycation.