Cities » San Francisco Bay Area
CSM San Francisco Bay Area Ministry Expands!
Facts and Figures
San Francisco
The namesake of St. Francis of Assisi, San Francisco is home to approximately 750,000 people of diverse cultures, religions, backgrounds, and economic status. “The City by the Bay” covers less than fifty square miles, with a population of more than 15,000 people per square mile, and is bordered by water on three sides.
Two amazing bridges built in the 1930’s connect San Francisco to communities on the north and east: the Golden Gate Bridge, which takes its commuters into Marin County, one of the wealthiest counties in California; and the Bay Bridge, which connects San Francisco to the East Bay cities of Berkeley, Oakland, and Alameda.
Oakland
Oakland was founded in 1852 and is the eighth largest city in the state of California. The 2005 estimated population is 395,274 people.
Oakland has more than 50 distinct neighborhoods, but not all are recognized on a map. One of the main distinctions in geography is between “the hills” and “the flatlands” (or “flats”). Historically, the hills are more upper-middle/upper class neighborhoods along the northeast side of the city, while the flatlands are working class neighborhoods located closer to the San Francisco Bay.
Did You Know That…
San Francisco
San Francisco’s Chinatown is home to the largest Chinese population outside of Beijing in mainland China.
Between 6,000 and 15,000 people in San Francisco are homeless, a number that has decreased in recent years. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco has the highest per capita homeless population in the US.
The children attending San Francisco public schools speak more than seventy languages.
Oakland
Oakland is said to be home to many sub cultural trends such as Ebonics, Sideshows, as well as many famous musical and big screen talents. MC Hammer, Tupak Shakur, Tony! Toni! Tone!, Green Day, Clint Eastwood, Tom Hanks and Mark Hamel all spent some of their formative years in Oakland.
Some of Oakland’s best attractions are Jack London Square, Chinatown, McAfee Coliseum (home of baseball’s Oakland A’s and Oakland’s Raiders of the NFL), the Paramount Theater, and Children’s Fairyland.
People, Places, Issues
San Francisco
25 to 30% of San Francisco’s homeless population are families with children. Currently, there are 29,000 people on the wait list for SF public housing, and the average wait is two years. The waitlist for Section 8 was last open for a single month in 2001. There are 28,000 people on that wait list.
Of those currently homeless, 15 to 20% are employed in full- or part-time jobs. San Francisco’s homeless population typically consists of long-time residents of the city. One third are mentally ill, another third are addicted to some type of substance, and the rest find themselves displaced due to personal issues such as soaring housing costs or loss of income.
Oakland
According to the 2000 U.S. Census, Oakland and Long Beach, California are the most ethnically diverse cities in the United States, with over 150 languages spoken in Oakland. The 2005 census estimates the population breakdown to be 31% African American, 26% Caucasian, 25% Hispanic or Latino, and 16% Asian, and 3% encompassing all others.
The Oakland Unified School District has performed poorly for years. In the 2005 results of the STAR testing, over 50 percent of students taking the test performed “below basic,” while only 20 percent performed at least &ldqup;proficient” on the English section of the test.
One neighborhood, West Oakland, is home to 24,427 residents: 35% live in poverty; 79% are renters; 13% have a college or graduate degree; 53% of seniors live alone; 54% of West Oakland adults are not in the labor force.
Insights on the City
by Dana Hojsack (founding SF city director)
San Francisco draws visitors and residents from all over the world to take in its beautiful architecture, incredible views, and diverse culture. Mention “The City by the Bay” and people think of Fisherman’s Wharf, the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, and the 49ers football team. The romance that draws people to the city can turn into despair and pain for many.
The homeless population grows daily, as outrageous housing costs box even middle class families out of the housing market. Thousands of people live a paycheck away from the streets as the elderly, immigrant families, and others strive to survive the economics of a city bent on gentrification and serving the elite few that can afford to live within her borders. Poverty, drugs, underemployment, literacy, AIDS, crime, and violence take a daily toll on the people of San Francisco.
Looking through Jesus’ eyes at the people and issues that make up San Francisco, I see great hope for the future of San Francisco and her people. Jesus is alive and well in the city! Both small and large organizations, church communities, and followers of Christ seek daily to alleviate the suffering and shine God’s light in very dark places.
CSM Ministry Site Sampler
San Francisco
Due to the smaller size of the city and ministry sites, San Francisco teams will be divided into small groups and will rotate ministry sites throughout the week. There are few opportunities for an entire group to serve together. Below is a sample of some of the opportunities available.
The Salvation Army Tenderloin Central Corps serves the people of San Francisco’s Tenderloin District. “The Tenderloin” is an eight-block area that is home to many elderly, immigrant families, homeless individuals, and most of San Francisco’s SRO’s (single room occupancy) hotels. CSM works primarily with the After School Program and the Summer Day Camp. Groups will be asked to help get the children from school, help out with homework, play a game of dodgeball, and generally encourage the children that attend the program.
Project Open Hand delivers hot meals and groceries daily to over 2,000 people living with HIV and AIDS in San Francisco and the East Bay. CSM volunteers help prepare meals in the kitchen, shop for clients in the Grocery Center, and deliver meals on daily routes.
Laguna Honda Hospital is a long term care facility for individuals needing medical care. Our groups will work with the residents by leading an aerobics class, playing balloon volleyball, wheeling the residents to special events at the hospital, and if your lucky-helping with a field trip! Often times our best service to the residents is to just be a listening and caring ear.
Oakland
City Team Oakland is a ministry in West Oakland that provides hot meals, safe shelter, showers, and clean clothing to the homeless population. There is a residential recovery program for men that struggle with drugs and alcohol, as well as a new learning center to meet educational needs for men and women in the neighborhood. CSM volunteers assist with a variety of services that include, but are not limited to: brining groceries to those in need, helping prepare/serve meals, and providing a Friday night chapel service for men in the program and homeless from the community.
Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Alameda County is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to helping those in need. CSM volunteers could be helping at the thrift store, the dining room that serves 1,000 meals each day, or a drop-in center that provides assistance for homeless and low-income women and children.
St. Vincent’s Day Home is a non-profit organization, located in West Oakland, that provides comprehensive programs for toddlers and pre-schoolers, a licensed full-day kindergarten, and before-and-after school programs for older children. St. Vincent’s serves primarily single parent families who struggle at or below the poverty line. CSM volunteers have a great time assisting the classroom teachers in playing with the kids and helping the kids learn new skills.
Alameda Food Bank is one of Alameda’s primary social service organizations that consistently provides nutritionally balanced groceries to low-income residents on a non-discriminating basis at no cost to the recipient. In addition to the food distribution program, the food bank acts as a comprehensive information and referral service for clients. CSM volunteers will most likely be sorting and packaging the food so it can be efficiently distributed.
