IN THE HOUSE
The latest happenings at Hospitality House - August 2019 Issue
Our New Look
Dear Friends & Colleagues of Hospitality House,
We are excited to launch our bi-monthly e-newsletter, “In The House.” We’ll be sharing updates about Hospitality House programs, neighborhood events, and city-wide forums and activities.
We greatly appreciate your ongoing support, and through “In The House,” we’ll keep you up-to-date about the latest happenings at Hospitality House, as well as throughout the community, and across the City.
The phenomenal success of THHE Auction this past May – raising more than $162,000 for Hospitality House programs – also introduced us to an incredible audience of supporters and art enthusiasts. This year’s citywide celebration of our Community Arts Program’s 50th Anniversary was the catalyst for renewed excitement about how much the arts enrich our lives, and how much we rely on the talents of local artists as keepers of community culture.
As you’ll see from this inaugural edition of “In The House,” we’ve deepened our community engagement work on multiple fronts:
And starting this month, we invite you to take a closer look, “In The House.”
With gratitude,
Joe Wilson
We are excited to launch our bi-monthly e-newsletter, “In The House.” We’ll be sharing updates about Hospitality House programs, neighborhood events, and city-wide forums and activities.
We greatly appreciate your ongoing support, and through “In The House,” we’ll keep you up-to-date about the latest happenings at Hospitality House, as well as throughout the community, and across the City.
The phenomenal success of THHE Auction this past May – raising more than $162,000 for Hospitality House programs – also introduced us to an incredible audience of supporters and art enthusiasts. This year’s citywide celebration of our Community Arts Program’s 50th Anniversary was the catalyst for renewed excitement about how much the arts enrich our lives, and how much we rely on the talents of local artists as keepers of community culture.
As you’ll see from this inaugural edition of “In The House,” we’ve deepened our community engagement work on multiple fronts:
- A thought-provoking art exhibition entitled, “Tales of Migration,” both revealing and timely, chronicle our different journeys to and from new frontiers;
- “House Talk,” a monthly series of round table discussions featuring the shared stories of formerly incarcerated men and women seeking to reclaim their place in the communities they call home;
- We sponsored a hugely successful Jobs Fair hosted by the San Francisco Main Library with more than 40 Bay Area employers and more than 200 job-seekers;
- Continued leadership on citywide budget and policy work as part of multiple community coalitions to ensure needed resources and forward-thinking policy initiatives for homeless and low-income San Franciscans;
- Guest panelist presentations as part of citywide forums hosted by The Atlantic Magazine and the San Francisco Chronicle to bring a much-needed lived experience perspective regarding issues of homelessness and poverty;
- Keynote address for the citywide launch of the All-In Campaign, sponsored by Tipping Point Community, a ground-breaking effort for 1100 homes for chronically homeless individuals and families across all eleven supervisory districts.
And starting this month, we invite you to take a closer look, “In The House.”
With gratitude,
Joe Wilson
Building Opportunity For All: Is Tech Exacerbating Inequality?
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On July 17, 2019, the Atlantic magazine in collaboration with Shared Prosperity Partnership invited policymakers, advocates, and business leaders to Building Opportunity For All, an all-day forum to discuss how tech is exacerbating inequality but also being harnessed for innovative new solutions.
Hospitality House Executive Director Joe Wilson, along with Michael Austin of Seattle Planning Commission, Kung Feng of Jobs With Justice San Francisco, and Margot Kushel of UCSF took the stage to discuss how to better harness tech for equitable growth while dealing with the affordability crisis in San Francisco. The panel was facilitated by Alexis Madrigal, Staff Writer for The Atlantic.
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"San Francisco has a finite amount of land space, land area in which to construct housing, so we need to be building the right kind of housing, and housing that's affordable to people with very low incomes...I am not one of those who believes that all housing is equal, because it isn't. We have to be acting with a race and equity lens. To date we have not done that. We also need to link housing to jobs...Our recent point-in-time count showed us that one in four homeless people list loss of a job as a primary cause of their homelessness. If we're having a panel about shared prosperity, we need to talk about how we're investing or not investing in a workforce that can actually afford housing cost."
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"At a certain point, if we're not prepared to invest to the scale of the problem, we're going to be having more and more forums like this trying to talk about what we need to do. First and foremost, we need to really have a top-down redesign of how we envision prosperity in this country. It has to start in impoverished communities. A race and equity lens has to be front and center to those investments."
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On Prop C: "Doubling the investment that we are currently making to combat homelessness is a good thing and it gets us started in the right direction. I do think the tech industry has to do some soul searching here about its actual commitment to tackling this problem."
"Next time that there is a proposal to tax the tech industry a little bit to create a bigger pie--to create a bigger pie, you need more dough--I think that there's an opportunity for the tech industry to behave better in terms of accomplishing shared prosperity." |
Reentry to Hope: Talkin' House Talk
CBP Program Manager Windy Click and C.O. Peer-Advocate James Wren stand with hope.
Through the years, Hospitality House's Community Building Program (CBP) has developed into a central safe space where neighborhood residents can meet and connect with resources to strengthen community capacity and find the opportunity to recover from trauma. Besides offering leadership development and civic engagement workshops, CBP holds various support groups. The latest is called House Talk, a forum specifically for formerly incarcerated folks to share resources and ask questions about possibilities and the hope that comes with second chances.
“Being incarcerated for a day to a hundred years is all the same. We’re coming back and reuniting with society when they told us not to be here. So we just come together to share resources and success stories and allow a space to ask questions of what we’ve been through,” says Windy Click, a former "lifer" who now leads CBP as the Program Manager. She conceived the idea of creating a forum for formerly incarcerated people when she recognized a need for support information about essential resources; something significantly lacking at corporate transitional services for reentry.
“For me it was sharing those resources of going from a transitional home back into society. It was a lot different going from prison to a transitional home and then not having those resources, especially those who are from other cities and other counties that have come here to San Francisco and don’t know those resources and are kind of lost in that shuffle. So House Talk will give them a forum to where those who are from all over can come and share those resources, those job opportunities, things of that nature,” says James Wren, who joined Hospitality House after reentry and is now a Community Organizing Peer-Advocate.
The first House Talk attracted a room full of individuals whose sentences added up to 343 years, according to Windy. "It also showed us the racial discrimination (of the prison system). I was the only Caucasian person in the room. Everybody else was a person of color."
Windy attributes the success of House Talk to Hospitality House's peer-based model of engaging the community—where shared experiences between staff and community members allow everyone the ability to relate to each other on a much deeper level, thus opening up conversations. James agreed.
"We started finding out that there were a lot of issues among us who were formerly incarcerated that we wanted to get out and share, especially the information and resources. How were they going to get into this program? How were they going to get shoes? How will they get to DMV?," James added.
House Talk takes place every last Friday of the Month. For more information, please email Windy Click at [email protected] or call (415) 749-2109.
“Being incarcerated for a day to a hundred years is all the same. We’re coming back and reuniting with society when they told us not to be here. So we just come together to share resources and success stories and allow a space to ask questions of what we’ve been through,” says Windy Click, a former "lifer" who now leads CBP as the Program Manager. She conceived the idea of creating a forum for formerly incarcerated people when she recognized a need for support information about essential resources; something significantly lacking at corporate transitional services for reentry.
“For me it was sharing those resources of going from a transitional home back into society. It was a lot different going from prison to a transitional home and then not having those resources, especially those who are from other cities and other counties that have come here to San Francisco and don’t know those resources and are kind of lost in that shuffle. So House Talk will give them a forum to where those who are from all over can come and share those resources, those job opportunities, things of that nature,” says James Wren, who joined Hospitality House after reentry and is now a Community Organizing Peer-Advocate.
The first House Talk attracted a room full of individuals whose sentences added up to 343 years, according to Windy. "It also showed us the racial discrimination (of the prison system). I was the only Caucasian person in the room. Everybody else was a person of color."
Windy attributes the success of House Talk to Hospitality House's peer-based model of engaging the community—where shared experiences between staff and community members allow everyone the ability to relate to each other on a much deeper level, thus opening up conversations. James agreed.
"We started finding out that there were a lot of issues among us who were formerly incarcerated that we wanted to get out and share, especially the information and resources. How were they going to get into this program? How were they going to get shoes? How will they get to DMV?," James added.
House Talk takes place every last Friday of the Month. For more information, please email Windy Click at [email protected] or call (415) 749-2109.
Are you ALL IN?: Solutions To Homelessness Start With You
Employment Program Manager Tiffany Jackson offers her best smile for "ALL IN"
Joe Wilson shares his personal story and a poem by Rev. Jesse Jackson at the "ALL IN" kick-off.
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On July 25th, a diverse coalition of residents, policy experts, non-profit organizations, and corporate and small businesses gathered at Duboce Park in San Francisco to kick-off the ALL IN campaign, an initiative to alleviate the city's homeless crisis was launched by the Tipping Point Community, an innovative grant-making institution fighting poverty and homelessness in San Francisco. The idea of ALL IN is to bring San Franciscans together to support solutions to homelessness. The first goal is to create homes for 1,100 people across San Francisco's 11 districts.
Hospitality House is among the many non-profit organizations participating in the campaign, with Executive Director Joe Wilson sharing his own personal story of hope during the kick-off event (watch the entire speech in the video below). "A couple of years ago, the organization that runs the shelter that I used to sleep at chose me to help lead the organization as its executive director, a testament to the power of possibilities that exist in all of us," Joe told an audience of over 100 people. One of the values of ALL IN is about our shared responsibility. "Government can't solve homelessness alone. Homelessness reflects not just a breakdown of our institutions, but also a collective willingness to live up to the can-do spirit and compassion that have long defined San Francisco. Everyone—students, business owners, activists, and faith groups—has a role to play. Every neighborhood in San Francisco can welcome homes and services." The launch was covered by various media outlets including KQED and KTVU Channel 2 News, who interviewed Joe for their segment as well as Daniel Lurie, the CEO and Founder of The Tipping Point Community. "Tell me where you have seen an array of companies, non-profits, labor all in support of solutions. We haven't seen this before," said Lurie. If you would like to "Go All In" to work together toward solutions, you can make a pledge that you're "All In" here. |
Employment Program Magic: High Turn Out At Hospitality House's Job Fair
The Employment Program Team (l-to-r) Jalik, Lizbeth Roldan, Tiffany Jackson, Bobby Jones-Hanley (not pictured: Theresa Delacruz & Darrin Davis)
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In late July, Hospitality House's Employment Program hosted our most successful job fair to date with the largest turnout of both employers and job seekers. Our host, the San Francisco Main Public Library, was was noticeably impressed with the unanticipated number of attendees. Library officials readily agreed to set up additional booths and display tables well the beyond the main event space, to accommodate the 42 employers and over 200 job seekers.
Employment Program Manager Tiffany Jackson was visibly pleased by the turn out. “We’ve hosted many job fairs, most of them in partnership with other workforce development organizations, but this time around—hosting our very own job fair—we had the highest turn out yet!” she beamed. Tiffany credits the tireless effort of her staff for the success of event. Thanks to Employment Case Managers Theresa De La Cruz and Lizbeth Roldan, as well as Employment Peer Advocates Bobby Jones-Hanley and Jalik Davis, who spent countless hours contacting past employer partners, cold calling potential partners, reaching out to job seekers, coordinating event logistics, and so much more. The collective organizing effort of our Employment Program Team truly paid off. In Tiffany’s words, “It was truly amazing. You just had to be there to see the magic that was going on. It really was magical…we’ve never had an event like that before, ever. For our small team to organize it on our own, that was amazing”. For more information about Hospitality House's Employment Program, please call (415) 369-3050 or check out our dedicated webpage here. |
Tales of Migration
"Without Boundaries" by Joseph Sierra. Acrylic on wood panels, 11 x 17 in.
Artist Joseph Sierra
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“Everybody has the right to a better life and people pay the price of their lives to come to another country and the most symbolic thing is that we should not have borders in the planet. We should protect and help each other, create more healthy societies instead of finding issues related to immigration, “ says community artist Joseph Sierra.
Joseph has been coming to Hospitality House's Community Arts Program (CAP) since 1994. He explains the symbolism behind his latest piece now on display as part of CAP's latest exhibition, Tales of Migration. "(The skulls) are a symbol that a lot of people give their lives crossing borders." The exhibition, which opened on Friday, August 2nd and runs through September 16th, features artwork honoring the experiences of migration and immigration. "We wanted to do a show about immigration and decided to go with the word 'migration' partly because we wanted to broaden the idea," says Emma Fenton-Miller, CAP Studio Assistant who is also an artist. "The tagline we discussed was 'Stories of leaving one land and arriving in another.'" By broadening the theme, artists contributed pieces that told stories of moving around the country to find a better life. For example, popular CAP artist Charles Blackwell created artwork about his family's migration from the South to Oakland. There are even pieces about the migration of animals. However, some of the most powerful pieces are about personal experiences with the issue of immigration. "There was an artist who was actually in the custody of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and did a piece about that. He was in ICE custody for six months, separated from his family," Emma shared. "It's a poignant, powerful piece." Providing inspiration to create artwork for this exhibit was the SF Poster Syndicate lead by artist, impresario, and instigator Art Hazelwood. The SF Poster Syndicate is known for creating screen prints of original images, continuing the rich history of posters as a form of political messaging. They would print the posters "live" at political actions, exhibitions, and on the street, giving away the work for free in order to target a variety of current social and economic justice issues. The CAP staff had invited the group to talk to CAP artists about approaches to the subject. They taught them how to develop more concise statements in political messaging. "It inspired people to think more broadly about their message," says Emma. Surprisingly, in a city as progressive as San Francisco, the subject of immigration can be one that incites divisive opinions. As the SF Poster Syndicate gave away freshly printed posters in front of the CAP studio during the exhibition's opening, there were some who yelled expletives at the artists. "We had some people yelling at them, telling them they were going to hell," recounted Emma, "That just shows how important it is to get the message out there explicitly that immigration and migration and (seeking) asylum is a human right." Tales of Migration will be on display in the CAP gallery sidewalk windows at 1009 Market Street in San Francisco until September 18th. All artwork is for sale, so we encourage you to come by and support your neighborhood artists. Remember through CAP, 100% of the proceeds from sales go directly to the artists. |
