SF Homeless Project began last week, where over 70 media outlets participated in a collective effort to shine a light on the state of homelessness in San Francisco and the Bay Area, including highlighting solutions and progress being made in local communities. Each outlet took a slightly different approach, but they were unified in portraying homelessness as a solvable human crisis.Many San Francisco based reporters prodded their elected leaders to find solutions to end the human suffering. Media covering the South Bay focused more on educating the public on strategies, models and programs that are effectively ending homelessness in Santa Clara County.
Mother Jones discussed the value of using data in housing people, “Earlier this year, Santa Clara County unveiled a sophisticated algorithm that could revolutionize the way homeless people are picked for housing.” Additionally, “The researchers behind the project calculate that identifying and quickly housing 1,000 of these high-cost people could save more than $19 million a year—money that could be rolled into providing more housing for homeless people.”As the Mercury News Editorial Board states, “Based on experience in Santa Clara County, 84 percent of the individuals placed in “supportive housing,” which includes medical, mental health and other services, stay there.” The editorial closes by saying, “Santa Clara County has something we’re told San Francisco lacks: a truly unified approach to homelessness, with service providers, cities and the county all working together. But to really make headway, residents have to understand it more fully. That’s how this week’s media blitz can help.”Other reporters featured individual stories of success, profiles in leadership and resources available for specific groups and populations. Members of our Leadership Board and several of our community partners also contributed op-eds. The overall consensus was we know how to end homelessness and we must build on the gains we’ve already made in Santa Clara County.
Here is a small collection of coverage from around the South Bay. You can view an exhaustive list of media by searching #SFHomelessProject on twitter. Special thanks to the Mercury News, KQED and San Jose Inside for covering many important aspects of our community’s efforts. |