Activism
PRESS ROOM: Mayor London Breed Celebrates Groundbreaking of 100% Affordable and Supportive Housing Development in Soma
“We’ve got to prioritize preventing low-income families from becoming homeless, or being priced out of San Francisco, just as much as supporting people who are experiencing homelessness,” said MHC President Doug Shoemaker. “This development gives us the unique opportunity to do both at once.”
More than 200 new homes for low-income residents and previously unhoused families to be built on lot that previously served as one of City’s first COVID testing sites
San Francisco, CA — Mayor London N. Breed announced the groundbreaking of a new 100% affordable housing development on 7th and Brannan Streets in the South of Market neighborhood. The 221 new homes located at 600 7th Street will provide permanent supportive housing for families and individuals who have experienced homelessness, and low-income families. Prior to construction beginning when the site was still an empty lot, it was home to one of San Francisco’s first COVID-19 testing sites that opened in April 2020 and served as a critical resource early during the City’s pandemic response.
The new homes at 7th and Brannan support the City’s need to add thousands more units of housing per year and builds on Mayor Breed’s Homelessness Recovery Plan, which included the largest expansion of permanent supportive housing in 20 years. Additional amenities at 7th and Brannan will include two courtyards, community rooms, bike storage, maintenance rooms, and laundry facilities.
“Projects like this are key to the City’s work to provide permanent housing and care needed to truly transform the lives of people experiencing homelessness,” said Mayor London Breed. “7th and Brannan is just one example of what we are doing to improve this neighborhood. With eight affordable housing projects currently under construction in District 6 alone, and another eight slated to break ground over the next three years, we are making a difference for San Franciscans. We need to do more to build projects like this across our entire city if we are going to meet our housing goals.”
“The 7th and Brannan development is a perfect example of what we need to do as a city to ensure residents aren’t priced out of San Francisco during this housing crisis,” said District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey. “To reach our housing goal of 82,000 additional units by 2030, the City needs to push for more affordable housing, not just within District 6, but across all neighborhoods, and I look forward to working with my colleagues at the Board of Supervisors to see this through.”
Residents at 7th and Brannan will also have access to multiple transit options. The development site is across the street from a MUNI bus stop, a 10-minute walk to the San Francisco Caltrain and a 20-minute walk to the Civic Center BART stations. The development will also include more than 5,000 square feet of community-serving commercial space facing Brannan Street.
The project developer, Mercy Housing California (MHC), is committed to working with the City to create permanently affordable family rental housing which includes units serving households who have experienced homelessness, as well as ground-floor commercial use serving San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood. MHC owns 160 rental properties across 36 California counties, serving low and very-low-income working families, seniors, people who have experienced homelessness, people living with HIV/AIDS, and people with disabilities.
“We’ve got to prioritize preventing low-income families from becoming homeless, or being priced out of San Francisco, just as much as supporting people who are experiencing homelessness,” said MHC President Doug Shoemaker. “This development gives us the unique opportunity to do both at once.”
The new development at 7th and Brannan is funded by a mix of federal tax credits, as well as substantial support from the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development for the development of permanent supportive housing for people in need of mental health services and are experiencing homelessness, chronic homelessness, or at risk of chronic homelessness.
7th and Brannan will be managed by Mercy Housing Management Group, with supportive housing services provided by Episcopal Community Services of San Francisco. The property was designed by Santos Prescott + Associates and the construction is a joint venture between Suffolk Construction and local firm Guzman Construction Group. The building is expected to welcome its first residents in summer 2024.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024
To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.
Activism
Oakland Schools Honor Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties
Every Jan. 30, OUSD commemorates the legacy of Fred Korematsu, an Oakland native, a Castlemont High School graduate, and a national symbol of resistance, resilience, and justice. His defiant stand against racial injustice and his unwavering commitment to civil rights continue to inspire the local community and the nation. Tuesday was “Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution” in the state of California and a growing number of states across the country.
By Post Staff
Every Jan. 30, OUSD commemorates the legacy of Fred Korematsu, an Oakland native, a Castlemont High School graduate, and a national symbol of resistance, resilience, and justice.
His defiant stand against racial injustice and his unwavering commitment to civil rights continue to inspire the local community and the nation. Tuesday was “Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution” in the state of California and a growing number of states across the country.
One OUSD school is named in his honor: Fred T. Korematsu Discovery Academy (KDA) elementary in East Oakland.
Several years ago, founding KDA Principal Charles Wilson, in a video interview with anti-hate organization “Not In Our Town,” said, “We chose the name Fred Korematsu because we really felt like the attributes that he showed in his work are things that the children need to learn … that common people can stand up and make differences in a large number of people’s lives.”
Fred Korematsu was born in Oakland on Jan. 30, 1919. His parents ran a floral nursery business, and his upbringing in Oakland shaped his worldview. His belief in the importance of standing up for your rights and the rights of others, regardless of race or background, was the foundation for his activism against racial prejudice and for the rights of Japanese Americans during World War II.
At the start of the war, Korematsu was turned away from enlisting in the National Guard and the Coast Guard because of his race. He trained as a welder, working at the docks in Oakland, but was fired after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. Fear and prejudice led to federal Executive Order 9066, which forced more than 120,000 Japanese Americans out of their homes and neighborhoods and into remote internment camps.
The 23-year-old Korematsu resisted the order. He underwent cosmetic surgery and assumed a false identity, choosing freedom over unjust imprisonment. His later arrest and conviction sparked a legal battle that would challenge the foundation of civil liberties in America.
Korematsu’s fight culminated in the Supreme Court’s initial ruling against him in 1944. He spent years in a Utah internment camp with his family, followed by time living in Salt Lake City where he was dogged by racism.
In 1976, President Gerald Ford overturned Executive Order 9066. Seven years later, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco vacated Korematsu’s conviction. He said in court, “I would like to see the government admit that they were wrong and do something about it so this will never happen again to any American citizen of any race, creed, or color.”
Korematsu’s dedication and determination established him as a national icon of civil rights and social justice. He advocated for justice with Rosa Parks. In 1998, President Bill Clinton gave him the Presidential Medal of Freedom saying, “In the long history of our country’s constant search for justice, some names of ordinary citizens stand for millions of souls … To that distinguished list, today we add the name of Fred Korematsu.”
After Sept. 11, 2001, Korematsu spoke out against hatred and discrimination, saying what happened to Japanese Americans should not happen to people of Middle Eastern descent.
Korematsu’s roots in Oakland and his education in OUSD are a source of great pride for the city, according to the school district. His most famous quote, which is on the Korematsu elementary school mural, is as relevant now as ever, “If you have the feeling that something is wrong, don’t be afraid to speak up.”
-
Activism4 weeks ago
Oakland Post: Week of March 27 – April 2, 2024
-
#NNPA BlackPress4 weeks ago
Beloved Actor and Activist Louis Cameron Gossett Jr. Dies at 87
-
Community1 week ago
Financial Assistance Bill for Descendants of Enslaved Persons to Help Them Purchase, Own, or Maintain a Home
-
Activism3 weeks ago
Oakland Post: Week of April 3 – 6, 2024
-
Business1 week ago
V.P. Kamala Harris: Americans With Criminal Records Will Soon Be Eligible for SBA Loans
-
Activism2 weeks ago
Oakland Post: Week of April 10 – 16, 2024
-
Community1 week ago
AG Bonta Says Oakland School Leaders Should Comply with State Laws to Avoid ‘Disparate Harm’ When Closing or Merging Schools
-
Community6 days ago
Oakland WNBA Player to be Inducted Into Hall of Fame