community-driven agency serving youth who often live on the margins of society. leaving these cuts would create more issues that complicate the lives of said francisco's most abominable and the agencies that serve them, rather than producing college graduates such as myself. thank you. president chiu: if i could ask folks in the chamber -- we do have a rule that we not applaud or express opposition to statements, in order for us to keep the proceedings going. i ask you to respect that. thank you. >> my name is michael. i am homeless. any cuts in programs dealing with mental health or homelessness -- you just can't do it. if you want to save money, all of you work for free.

that is what i really have to say. >> alan kingston, with power outage, with the department of public health. i am living proof that these to work. these services are helpful. to get rid of them is absurd. as far as going down to the tenderloin and south of market, i have used almost every one of these resources. they work. from being homeless on the street to having my driver's license, if it were not for these programs and other outreach, and the catholic charities that helped to get us into an sro, we would probably still be on the street out there. this gives us hope. there is a little hope on the streets because of these programs. if you take these away, you are

blowing it. you have finally found something that works. i am one of the people who has used these resources, and they do work. thank you. >> thanks for the opportunity to speak. my name is antonio. i am a consumer advocate. we oppose all cuts. i live with paranoid schizophrenia. the budget cuts might affect my peers that have mental-health challenges. every year, we plead to health and human services not to cut services. they help us recover and help us be successful. supportive housing and substance abuse services -- we oppose all cuts. i used to live in a shelter. i was homeless. i used to use the tenderloin housing center. i know the value of the hospitality house. this is a place of love.

you get help on employment. you get help by the community. i could use my phone to my family and stay out of the cold. i had friends getting tds and giving back to the community. -- getting ged's and giving back to the community. a friend was running out of men's and needed intervention last week, but i was not-- out of meds and needed intervention last week, but i was not panicking because i knew of the program. if that can not been true, he would have lost housing. without the services, she would've had to start over. now we know how to fix this. help stop the potential loss of our well being. also i want to talk about -- what really upsets me is a lot

of our elderly are going to lose funding. i used to work for an agency, but it was the most fulfilling work to see these people get a second wind. president chiu: thank you very much. next speaker. >> i am with a group called power, pure outreach workers exemplify recovery. a lot of these services, and vocational services, vacation teams -- they have all been a part of my life and have helped me come from being homeless to transitional housing, being able to take care of myself. if you do cuts to any of these, it is going to make it a

problem for other people being able to get these services. i would appreciate it if you could look into it. for the community, it is an awesome program. they do not have programs in other cities like we have here. i appreciate it. thank you. >> my name is susan hansen. i ran away to this city for the first time in 1965. guess why i ran away again? for my own life. do not make these cuts. i know times are hard. but i am two years sober. i am in permanent housing. do not make them. this is a sanctuary city, a sanctuary for everyone.

we live on the margins. thank you. >> my name is lee and simpson. i am a community educator with the mental health association of san francisco. i am here today to oppose all of the cuts. as an educator, i share my story of triumph and how i struggled with mental illness and how i overcame it. i want to speak about a cut that is close to me. i have struggled with bipolar disorder since i am 19. learning to manage the disorder has been a challenge for me. but the outpatient services have been there. they have helped me a lot. i have participated in the eight week bipolar group and learned

how to manage the many and overcome it. because of that, and graduated from college and moved on to pursuing a happy and successful career. please do not cut the outpatient services. please do not make any of the cuts they are proposing. thank you. >> i am with the stonewall project. myself and my colleague are here to talk a little bit to ask you please not to make the cuts. the stonewall project is a safety net program that provides services to those who would not get services otherwise, to provide a variety of thresholds for clients who would not be

served in more traditional treatment settings, and to make sure folks stay connected to care. if these cuts happen, we will not be able to serve the folks that come to our door. it will cost the city more in emergency rooms, homelessness, police, fire, etc.. it is critical that these safety net services are maintained in a city like san francisco. i think this city is a noble place and there have been great things done here. we need to make sure we stand up and support the services that protect our citizens and are most vulnerable. the gay population of san francisco is vulnerable to a drug use and abuse. the stonewall project is the only project remains funded exclusively to work with this group now that new leaf is no longer with us.

i urge you not to cut the safety net that is so vital to us. thank you. >> good afternoon. you have our talking points. i just want to highlight a few key points. in the hiv prevention plan, there are specifically identified six drivers of hiv in san francisco, including cocaine, alcohol, and paupers. those are all services we provide at the stonewall project. with the closure of new leaf, we expanded our services beyond methamphetamine treatment, working with the city to accommodate the patients who were lost in that closure. i want to highlight that these

services are critical. there is nowhere else for these clients to go. we anticipate when these cuts go through we would see a return of waiting lists and lengthy delays before gay men can receive treatment. we remain concerned about the continued threat of hiv among the population, particularly given the 30 years of hiv, the anniversary of hiv diagnosis, which was wrecked -- which was recognized this month. >> my name is c.w. johnson. i consider myself to be an advocate. i suffer from manic depression. i was diagnosed a few years ago with diabetes. the thing no one has talked about is how a $15 cut from my social security would have cost me my housing.

2.5 years ago, i applied for housing. there was a cut of a couple hundred dollars, so i no longer qualified for the apartment. recently, they took $15 out of my check, and once again i no longer qualified for the apartment. luckily, one of my friend said, "work for me. i will make sure you qualify for your sro." that is the way it has gone. i was homeless before i moved into the sro. just like i am waiting to move up, someone else is waiting to move in. this $15 would have stopped me from moving forward. when you make cuts like this, it stops forward progress. please think about that. thank you. supervisor mirkarimi: i just want to remind people that we have a full house here. we have an overflow room in the

north light court downstairs. next speaker, please. >> board of supervisors, my name is stacey delbuccia. i was going in san francisco with bipolar. i have been diagnosed with psychotic features and depression. the doctors at that time did not have mental health knowledge. they did not know what was wrong with a. it was six years that i did not sleep. i still have sleeping issues today. i urge and beg the board to continue all mental health support. please do not cut anything. my life has been a roller coaster. almost everyone in my family has had mental illness diagnosed. i have a great grandfather who died in the mental hospital. i am back here in san francisco. i found help at orange county, thank god, and just arrived in

san francisco in month ago. i think i was the candidate that was able to go to west side crisis. i got my medicine. if i cannot be well and cannot help my family, i do not know what is calling to happen to me. i encourage everyone to please continue the research and support and everything. >> supervisors and leaders of our community, on a national scale, mayors from all over the united states are convening to seek solutions. locally, we are biting off pieces of the crisis and doing the best as citizens we can to avert what is impending doom for many of our social organizations and social safety nets.

as just one of many speakers you will hear today, i will focus on a single issue and make it my proper emphasis. as the city and county of san francisco has taken a portion of its long-term homeless people and provided them with stable housing, their continued care, which is a health-care issue, is vital to prevent the possibility of returning to homelessness. instead of developing a program to assist with the formerly homeless, we are looking at a demise in the counseling aspect. we need to find ways to make it furnish and grow. i have recently heard the return of one of the great jazz legends, who was living in

downtown los angeles in an sro. he has made a comeback and is now on the road again. there are many gems to be cultivated within our population. many simply need to be inspired, cultivated, and encouraged. i believe the destiny of this city and county lies in its great citizens and leaders. to have eight new set -- having a citizen left behind policy, and seek out our greatness. >> my name is richard he sleep. i am the executive director of

kleiner house. we have been trying to keep support in supportive housing for 16 years. the effort started long ago. we open san francisco's first such to a trip halfway house in 1960 and opened the first supportive housing co-op apartment in 1963. in has been going on in this city for a long time. supportive housing comes in two varieties. there is the clinical side of this, largely driven by medical dolarslars, which are leverage n this budget. the other is the non-treatment support. when we look at the cuts that have been forwarded to you, we noticed there was a total of originally about $470,000 of

non-treatment support services and supportive housing. in the scammers process, he restored approximately $95,000 to that, but there remains an additional $384 thousand still to be restored. the ones that were restored were services to older adults, but none of the adult services in support of housing were restored. if you want to see the comparison of what is and is not restored, it is on the last page of the attachment. it comes off of a spreadsheet from the mayor. i think you for taking a look at this. -- thank you for taking a look at this. >> i and the community director of cats.

i am here to request funding for the outreach team. there are also other cuts that are affecting basic services for homeless individuals, which include drop in services at ocean, and 75 stabilization rooms. these services for a safety net for homeless people, providing food, shelter, housing, and crisis intervention. combined, these programs serve 280 people daily. cutting these programs violates the budget policy priorities accepted by the mayor. the must prioritize the most vulnerable in services that directly benefit individuals and

prevent higher cost to the city -- keeping them out of jail and hospitals, keeping them away from police and paramedics. for instance, the homeless outreach team would lose the outreach workers. they respond to calls from citizens, the police, and the mayor's office, referring clients to shelters and case management, as well as other critical services. staff are here to tell you more in detail about what they do. i ask that you preserve this vital services to the homeless. >> my name is rand park. i am director of the homeless outreach team. this loss will decimate the team. we currently have two shifts

that work until 9:00 at night. the service needs a basic human need of housing, shelter, food, nutrition, and safety from the streets. the team response to 311, the police, and the medical system. we assessed for case management. we do wellness' checks on people in shelters and stabilization housing. we help the provider community and are able to place folks it in emergency care. we have oversight of and case management of 36 folks in the case management system. we take folks in very poor condition. sometimes a shower is what makes it possible for a person to access needed services like a shelter or a clinic. we do just about everything and anything a person found homeless on the street might need for

humanitarian intervention. we seek out the sickest and most fragile of the population. we save the city thousands of dollars. a two-hour intervention costs the city $64 for caring individuals to assess, feed, clothe, in transport a person. an ambulance ride alone is $1,000. i think that is a cost-saving measure. >> my name is felicia. i am program director of women's place. i am here to advocate for the san francisco outreach team. fortunately, i am not here for women's place this year. a lot of work has gone into debt as restored in the mayor's budget. i appreciate that. but we need your help.

you just listen to my daughter, who left the room. maybe again speak freely. $64 as opposed to $1,000? they were created for that very reason. as the director of woman's place, i do not know how many days -- i would say six out of seven, because i work seven days a week. i do not know how many times i have said, "let us call them." they are the first step. it is a step i really appreciate. i also want to advocate on behalf of the entire system of care. as i stand here, i get a little bit overwhelmed because i listened to the stories and success stories. i wish we were here having a party, celebrating, instead of asking you to restore cuts.

it does my heart good to see the success these programs are giving to people. hospitality house -- i don't know what i would do. it is right and around the corner from women's health center. there is strength in numbers. i would like to count you in our numbers. thank you. supervisor mirkarimi: thank you. next speaker, please. >> i am michael bleker, of swords to plowshares, the veterans' rights organization. we are looking at a 20% cut in hour drop-in program. that is critical. to drop that service -- it makes it accessible to come to our other programs, which are funded by the va and parts of the federal government. it is one program that is not just -- it is an access point

that also informs our ability to find out what is going on. it helps us with policy. it also serves the most vulnerable population who we serve. it is not a medical model. it is a social model. it is pure-based. we primarily serve veterans who are over 55, a majority african- american, combat benefits, but veterans elder than their years. they just need our help. it is really crucial for an organization to have that kind of access to your community, the people you are supposed to help. i also want to vote strongly for the homeless outreach team. we are located at 1060 howard street. we were together. the homeless outreach team -- it is hard for me to believe that would be considered for a cut.

it is so crucial and cost effective. it helps the folks who are most vulnerable, and that is what i thought this was about. the cuts are going to increase suffering. thank you. >> excuse me. hello. my name is dean johnson. i am representing hospitality house of san francisco. i wish i had the time to name all my beautiful mentors. they are some beautiful ladies. if it was not for one in particular, i would not be standing here today. i would be dead a long time ago.

we are going to talk about character. this is what you have to suffer for me to have. i don't want it. i just threw away two potential lawsuits because other people are going to get hurt. i backed up. things are getting worse. they are not going to do it. the only way to make them do it is to listen to each other. it has been a long time. we are well overdue for that. my friend lost a job, i found out not too long ago.

there might have been shaking, earth tremors, earthquakes. all the people here taught me a good lesson. learn by heart your civil rights. the children are our future. that is another thing about child care. president chiu: thank you very much. next speaker. >> good afternoon, board of supervisors. i am a disabled united states navy veteran and a client of walden house. please do not hurt them. they are a gem in the city. can you imagine what the city would be like without places like walden house and other places for homeless people like

myself to go to? i will take you back to 1989, 1990, 1991. in front of city hall was a homeless encampment but. -- was a homeless encampment. that could happen again. you are helping these organizations, but you're getting something in return. i would like to make that the main point of what i am trying to say. things have improved in the city. let's not go backwards. this is a very progressive city. i would like to see it progressing the way it has been by having these services for all these people. thank you. >> good afternoon. thank you for listening. we appreciate your attentiveness. i am the executive director at

central city hospitality house. the think i count this as my 10th year, my tent budget process. i did want to thank and appreciate the mayor and all the supervisors, including supervisor chu, who has done a great job participating in the budget process this far with cbo's. i was one of the stakeholders. it was impressive to have some restoration's made before we got to this point. there are programs that match the priority, priorities that were developed by the stakeholders. i want to talk about some of them today. those include some of the programs for homeless folks, including the stabilization room. i want to talk about hospitality houses cut to the tenderloin. the sixth street help center -- those progr