the neighborhood outreach that we have conducted has been amazing. there is a website for community meetings, house parties, fires, the males, and door hangers. and it matches those of your political campaigns. sometimes you can't completely overcome through claims and fear that the opposition is putting out there. in this case, it has been the comparison to the bridge hotel. it is a private market rate building where the owners feel the best way to maximize their profits is to run eighth in the current way it is being run. all of you on the board no for a fact the community housing partnerships that professionally own and operate at were the second, it will not be another bridge hotel. if approved, i am confident that

my neighbors will realize that as well. today, i have to wonder how many of my neighbors have signed petitions against that were the second because they are against the bridge hotel. and not because they are against quality projects. they truly lost to those buyers because of the were the second rather than the economy. it is due to the untrue rumors of edward the second being another bridge hotel that nobody would want to live next to. young adults easing out of foster care that have done no wrong to anyone should not be held responsible for these rumors and unsubstantiated fears. i urge you to support this product that will have no impact on my neighborhood that is already a vibrant part of san francisco. >> my name is barbara, i have

been a resident since january of 1985, and i am here to speak in support of the project. i have previously written to the board about my support and i am here today to reiterate my position and feelings that i expressed in those letters. we have an obligation to uphold our promise to the youth of california that find themselves in the foster care system. we tell them if you of pulled your end of the bargain, if you stay in school and are gainfully employed and immerse yourself in job training, we will continue to support you. we should be applauding the determination of these young adults to become self- sufficient. i urge all parents to remember the assistance they gave their children after high school

graduation whether they're going to a two-year or four-year college. i think we should all remember the assistance we receive from our parents during that transitional time in two first jobs or careers. but what happens in california is that at the age of 18, children in the foster care system are left on their own. i am thankful that they are here to help with the transition through college and the first jobs. i think we should celebrate the determination and hard work, welcome them to our neighborhood. please remember the success that they have had with their projects. they are developed for young adults 18-24. i am proud to stand with these agencies and young adults that will live in these 24 units. i am proud to help them fight to

have a, and i'll forward to welcoming them to the marina. >> my name is bill campbell. i have lived in different locations within seven blocks of edward the second for 35 years. i was looking through an alumni magazine when i saw one of those articles on faculty research projects. this one began with this sentence. one third half of the girl living in high crime areas are victims of sexual violence. young women that live in poor neighborhoods face violence is way above what women in other neighborhoods face. we need a citywide solution and all neighborhoods need to step up. i know the track record. one of the reasons why it is so

successful is that it has high expectations and it provides a world-class mentoring and support. years ago, there was a mansion and in pacific heights. i never heard of a single incident to the entire time it was there. i think it will be the same way here. i have listened to the opponent's comments. i have heard one person say three times that he was against this project because it is a gold-plated project. i have heard other people say that the rooms are too small and there is not enough common areas, there is not enough outside space. it is not nice enough. the other person says the young people won't stay there too long. i think it is pretty clear that no project is going to make all the implements happy, no project

is perfect. but this project is an exceptionally good one. let's not wait for a perfect project, because i don't think we will see one. we need to offer a safe place to live now to transition to community life. >> i am 21 years old of age and i have been working with them since entering the foster system in 2004. there are so currently working with them. on behalf of all transition age youth, as a 21-year-old led the divide woman, i have had to face many -- i have been provided

with a wide variety of supportive services and forms of membership, case management, and it has allowed me to tackle some of these issues regarding housing. i was able to intern who gained experience as well as plan by next steps around employment. and i was able to get an educational plan eventually leading to a transfer to san francisco state. so i can continue to advocate for youth in this position. my story is what you will hear over and over again when it comes to the youth services.

i believe that is because they are good at what they do. they want to continue to help people. my story still came at a very large price of me dealing with a lot of hard ships and overcoming a lot of struggles. but due to their great track record of meeting people where they are at and meeting people half way, i think they can help the youth and i think they can assist the residents and hope some of their fears. i hope he will support this project, thank you. >> hon. board members, i live and work in san francisco and i have had the honor of being a board member from the late-1980s until the late 1990's. i watched it grow. when i first started, the budget

was $300,000. now i understand that due to success and reputation as over $12 million. that $12 million supports a full continuum of services that i am sure you have heard about. there are very successful, they are known nationally and internationally. i am reminded, and i know you have heard about the populations that the market street youth services, who their clients are. i am reminded that d.c. youth that are in foster home at age 18, as you heard president of the marina remind us, at age 18, they are turned away. and think about us as parents, us as children, how support of the work of our children once they graduate from high school

or for those of you younger than i am, how your parents supported you when you graduated from high school. these foster kids heart and underserved population. when i think about this, i am reminded by something -- a jesuit philosopher reminded me that the society is judged by how it treats in the least of its members. please support this project. >> supervisors, i feel underdressed. i am here talking on behalf of youth services. i am currently staying at the youth shelter. i recently had a chance to visit the marina district for the

first time. it was very beautiful and very clean. i did not understand why there was some much debate about the shelter and the first place. aside from money and building regulations, i understand there is a certain level of fear that comes with homeless activity in such a beautiful district like the marina. no one wants to see the marina look like the tenderloin. i want to reassure anyone with of the concern that you've shelters are nothing like other homeless shelters. all the youth that i have encountered have all been very motivated individuals whose ultimate goal was to have jobs and go to school. it is my belief that living in an area like the marina would only benefit the homeless youth to continue their pursuit. san francisco is a very iconic city. i believe that what happens

here influences what happens elsewhere in this country. i believe that we can really show the rest of the world that caring about youth who don't have a lot of choices in life generally encourage others to do the same. no one tells the youth that they are going to become homeless until it is a done deal. no one told me my mom was going to pass away after i graduated high school. but because of programs, i am out setting up to go to college next year. it is a dream i could not see happen otherwise. i believe rules have been banned for worse reasons. >> i have a resident avenue

independence. the marina district doesn't release support of -- support a lot of what is going on. i am starting to see them take a tour. and as a resident, i work for the department and the environment. i clean up a lot of the murals down there. and we were down their cleaning up some graffiti. they have given me an opportunity with the department of the environment to start pilot programs to implement energy efficiency and a zero waste program along with orchard and garden projects. hopefully, they can implement the same projects. without a lot of opportunities,

i am looking forward to going to uc-berkeley for architecture. i give all my thanks. >> i am a resident of district 2, and i am asking for your support in converting the edward the second into a traditional house for young adults. i have been volunteering for over a year in dallas. once a week, i go to the house and i concur. help them with homework or we play chess, checkers, or we talk. i have been doing this for over a year because i am so impressed with the youth that i get to talk to. they are smart, they are driven, no matter what hand they have been dealt, they say that they will put forth the effort to be

a contributing member of society. they do that because of the services of the street and the house where they get to live. it is similar to when the second would be as well. >> i used to be a [unintelligible] the reason i am here is that on thanksgiving, i had a chance to meet the kids. i used to serve dinner to the kids. i had a chance to mentor one of the kids, and native american. this kid had a hard time coming out from arizona.

not only did he have a hard time coming out, he had hiv. he feels like everyone is against him. i was happy to be his sponsor. i have been clean and sober for 20 years. i am a member of 12 staff, and i had a chance to see this kid because i was a former homeless kids. i was a former gang member and i am a former drug addict. in my generation, we never had anything what they have today. if i was given a chance like this, they could become a police officer, they could become a supervisor, so to me, it is a

project for future generations. >> i am a resident in live about six blocks from the edward too. i am a former board member of the youth services and also a real estate professional. ceqa is an important law that has contributed to the environment. it has become a tool for anyone that wants to construct a project no matter what size or actual impact. the planning department has appropriately determined that it should be reviewed. i urge you to a hold of the determination and denied the appeal. conditional use permit are designed to provide flexibility in the planning code to achieve public code.

out -- and always be improved. this is a well conceived project, please support the hotel project for transition aged youth. >> thank you for the opportunity to speak briefly with you tonight about the edward the second project. i am a resident of the richmond district. i am here in my professional capacity tonight, i am the program director of the court- appointed advocates for

children. what i really want to talk about tonight, there are a lot of practical issues that need to be considered, however she eighth heard that it is complex. i am trying to be another reminder of the big picture. what i consider not to be just an important issue, but a critical issue. as someone that has worked the last 12 years, watch many youth leave foster care without much more than a simple plan for their lives, sometimes those plans fall apart. i really see this as one step towards addressing the crisis. and i think based on the experience we have had, we really need to see many more projects like this, and maybe we will make a dent in what i call the crisis of housing. the youth are amazing.

they are called at risk a lot. i don't know anybody who as a teenager that doesn't have risk. i know i had risen and i have many privileges and support in my life. i want you to consider the big picture of getting these youth into a safe and affordable -- and have a leg up in their lives. >> i am coming to speak on behalf of the san francisco democratic county central committee. this came out before us and it passed. we want to see this bill. i was a teacher for 40 years.

they are at risk of succeeding. they are at risk of becoming wonderful citizens if they can get the hell. without help, they can fall through the cracks. if they can get health, they can make it in this world. my son was one of those. my son was so at risk because he was learning disabled, but very bright. my son became very abusive because he was so frightened at school. if it had not been for help outside of the home that he got,

he would not have made it through school. he would not be a teacher of severely handicapped students. each of these people has had a hard life. this will help them. this is the kind of housing that is important for everybody here. this will make these children, good citizens, good parents, good jobholders. it is important that you vote on this matter. >> i am very glad for the opportunity to be off the

streets and to get my life back in a stable path going forward. i think that the adults in this room have forgotten that at one time, we passed through the 18- 25 year category. there may be somebody who reached 17 in a skiff to 26, but that was a miracle. everybody probably said there were going to run away from home because they don't like the way they were being treated. this is an opportunity for the board to go forward with a small space in the big city of san francisco and help the youth. each of us needs to remember, if not for the help that we have, how many would make it to where we are today?

>> i am a transitional age youth. it is appalling that people are opposing this project, no matter how the concerns are framed, it doesn't make sense to a young person like myself that would benefit greatly from this housing project. i don't understand how people can be opposed to helping to create safe and affordable housing for the city's most marginalized youth. rather than respond to the issues, i would like to remind you all that the initial goal was to create 400 units for the transitional age youth by 2012. that goal has already been delayed. and this is a very urgent matter and ask that you not further delay this project.

affordable housing is one of the most critical needs. please support the project. thank you. >> good evening, supervisors. i am here to speak in support of the edward the second project. just for a second, imagine a child that has been sexually abused by her father and is forced to enter the foster care system. this is a friend of mine that is now 19 years old and just trying to get her life together, trying to recover from trauma. this is not the only person. there are thousands of young people in similar, worse, or

different type of situations that are trying to live a healthy life. imagine a senior citizen, a refugee from el salvador that makes a living out of her house. she is barely making ends meet, she consistently taking in youth and young families that are struggling with housing from her local church. that is my grandmother. not only does she take in those folks, she supported myself, my sister, and my mother. if this elderly woman who made ends meet by clipping coupons, only shopping when there was a sale, could support some many people that i used to see growing up, why can't the city and county of san francisco support this project and provide housing for transitional aid

used? i urge you to make the right decision and the support and move forward the edward the second. the goal was to have 400 by 2012, we know that is not going to happen. but let's not delay any further and given the right direction. >> i am the executive director of the treasure island public development. i am here in favor of the housing project being proposed by community housing partnerships had to speak against the appeals of this project. having worked for over a decade and being in contact with so many people have rebuilt their lives and credited the positive environment of treasure island for helping them stabilize, grow, and prosper, i feel strongly that we must provide

these opportunities in different neighborhoods whenever we can. it represents the best of what the city can do to address those needs and opportunities. i've also worked with community health at a partnership for 15 years. they take their mission seriously, there are professional, compassionate, that they care greatly about their tents. san francisco and the neighborhood could not ask for a better partner. i hope the appeals are soundly rejected so that this project may move forward in the san francisco transitional age you can find their place to stabilize growth and prosper. >> i am a marina native and

homeowner. my neighbors, my extended family, many of my friends. there is concern -- i can promise you that they will have much more space than students have in the dorms. these are young people that are asking for a hand up and not a hand out. please vote to pass the project, thank you. >> members of the board of supervisors, my name is richard spring water. why may district to resident and a supporter of that were the second. my day