the community. we also have the jobs fair. we invite employers and job- seekers. the last time, job-seekers came in connected with employers and found opportunities for them, for their own growth, and for the improvement of their families' lives. we also have, every christmas, we have toy drives. we have a fund-raising for kids than for families, for them to celebrate the spirit of christmas, despite their difficulties. they have a life. they also -- will also hold even slight fund-raisers, so we can get financial support for the funded programs like the after- school programs where hundreds of kids from the day care benefit, and also after school

and home help training students. -- home health training students. we hope you listen to us and consider postponing the construction are the approval of the construction for the building. thank you. >> distinguished commissioners. i am a teacher for the refugees program. i teach english to them. arriba juntos has helped a great number of people over the years. as you have heard from my colleague, we provide them a lot of opportunities. we help them not only to learn the language, which is absolutely essential for them to be able to enter this new world, but all so we offer them the ability to learn how to look for

work and be able to become active members of the society. and productive members of the society. we also have the food distribution program, which is really important to them. they need to be able to receive that kind of assistance every week, because they do not have much income. they do not have anything. so they just receive the cash assistance. for them to be able to receive this every week is very important. but if we build a building behind our own building, then there is no way for the food program to take place. because we need to have enough sufficient space to be able to have all of our tables. and the volunteers serving a great number of people. we need to have a place to been able to go out, and if we have a

building right behind our building, there is no way that they can have that. so we are here to really ask you to please consider and allow us to be able to continue to offer this kind of great services that we have. thank you very much. >> good afternoon. i am a case manager of the safe haven after-school program. at arriba juntos, and we provide a safe environment for children and their families by helping them with their homework, providing healthy snacks, and outside activities for their well-being and growth. if you build condos next to our facility, it will affect our daily outdoor activities with these children. we might not have enough space and will not be able to express themselves.

which are very important physically and emotionally. also, many families will be affected, because there will have no support in the services we provide. you represent the latina committee at arriba juntos. [speaking spanish]

>> good afternoon. i am resident of 17th street. i am kevin kelly. the call me irish. i am a muralist on -- in the area. the group by belong to, food not bombs, is cooking food right now for 16th and mission. two years ago, i was amazed to

watch 800 people receive services on a thursday. i switched my work schedule so i could help out arriba juntos. i helped with the refugee awareness day this year. that was amazing. any youth today, seeing that line going around the corner, we know what the economy is like. 800 people today of all nationalities. it is amazing. i have been working jo withrge over two years, living in the community over 10. the condos are coming up all around. it is making me nervous because i have two rentals. i see this coming. i support jobs and things like this. i know what happened on valencia. historically, the mission is a latin section. i love the flavor of it. i am not against condos or anything. i have lived there since 2004.

arriba juntos has been there how long? 46 years. they bought this property for only one thing. this is so simple. the whole community is against it. this is nothing. i cannot even have a stand on the 16th and the mission. we could have thousands of signatures down here, if i had the time. i had to take off today. i work in the afternoon. but i wanted to address you on how this will affect the community. unbelievable. it is a miracle what is going on down there. it is unbelievable. i switched my whole work schedule two years ago to help out arriba juntos. there's no way that anybody or anything is going to affect that. that would be insane, just for a buck. that is all it is. they bought it just to turn a buck. it is about dollars. there is 800 people today.

810 people, something like that. thank you very much for your time today. i appreciate it. >> thank you. june, allen, raul, l. barudi, yanna. i apologize for my pronunciations. >> [speaking foreign language] hello, i am case manager for the arriba juntos homered program, homeless people working for opportunity, resources, unchanged. we provide assistance to the homeless by providing different resources, such as shelter

placement, work readiness, and job assistance. i will started this to help people get the resources they need. thank you. >> madam president and esteemed panel, i represent arriba juntos, a case manager for the 35 nursing assistant, training students for an excellent career. we support them on many different levels. i would like to express this in my language, which arriba juntos opens their hands to many different communities. [speaking foreign language]

>> this would greatly hinder. once again, switching to english. >> with due respect, we strongly oppose listing the panel to review, with the very nice and common judgment. thank you. >> i will keep calling out names. oscar tang, [unintelligible] tracy brown. >> good afternoon.

i am the director of empowering the mission -- we are against this project. they are the fiscal sponsor but also the partner. we partner with the community response network, dealing with a high-rescued in the city. this project is not only -- but only is this gentrification, this is a project that doesn't really meet the needs of that area. as the previous gentleman said, there were people around the block, and there was a huge line. to have units of high-income individuals who will be living next to -- some people are

homeless, there is traffic. this will cause a serious problem with these people move into these units. we're very concerned. the young people go to the safe haven in the evening, and i don't know the list of complaints that will happen. i can already see the problems that will take place in this community. the entire community is against this project. the gentleman who is the owner of the property, he made an announcement. it is obvious in this room and the overflow room outside that the community is against this. there needs to be some serious dialogue and conversation, for the folks in the community to understand what is going on.

>> i am the co-chair of the community advisory board. i am here to talk about the impact that the proposed housing will have. those with the great -- the late hours of the day, these programs help make transitions to have a place to have a warm meal, and a shoulder to lean on. the proposed project may fit in with the building codes but not within the current needs of the community. that is not as housing.

this will not alleviate the needs of -- we ask you to benefit the needs of the community rather than the financial gain and housing of the people who can afford those condominiums. and the benefits -- this could be > 1 owner could have. >> thank you. >> my name is -- i am from morocco. >> please speak into the microphone. >> also, if so in assistant

teacher. [unintelligible] [speaking foreign language] >> if you would like to say some of that in english you may have some remaining time. and you could translate that. >> i appreciate and thank every employee, for their help. this organization gives immigrants the opportunity -- of

american culture. and it gives them a better life. i said the same " in english, with the opportunity to work as teachers assistance, and it also told me how to look for a job. i would like for them to have support so they can assist more people like me. because of the services that they have provided, if so it against the closing in the print -- permissible households. thank you for listening. >> if i called your name, can you come to the microphone? -- >> good afternoon. i worked as a case manager and i

speak russian and armenian language and i am here to oppose this building. this is next to the facility. we provide a lot of services to the clients and communities at large. one important service that they provide -- is that every thursday, they offer full time distribution 4800-900 people per week. the distribution starts at 5 in the morning and we are able -- we are multi-lingual and able to help people with their needs. we need to have enough space to serve 900 people in one day. i also want to say some words in

russian. [speaking in russian] one sentencei in armenian. [speaking armenian] >> >> thank you. -- >> i am the director of the beacon community center and i

am here to speak in opposition of this ferment and i have several reasons why. i do say that this is not incompatible and this is not a good use and there is no assurance from the new owner that they would live harmonious lee with the existing labor. i would like to use language from your own code of the development, that is necessary for and desirable with the nation or the community. these are not necessary or desired or compatible with the neighbors. i would like to say, halases compatible with the food bank, or a safe haven for ad-rescue it. i would also like to say that the hearing today, the wonderful programs that they offer -- the

community jobs program, the safe haven, the community workshops, the after-school programs, all of these services. even though this is the physical labor you don't consider the non-physical neighbors, the cooperative with the mission neighborhood centers, who are all against this development. and the city departments are also involved, with feet stakeholders. they have had committee workshops like the work force development, with the neighborhood meetings there, and the police department that supports them. you have a lot of non-physical labors that will also be impacted. they support the opposition of

this development. i would also like to mention that we have not also been part of the conversation and we would like this input, and the owners should get their names and numbers from the organization. this is a community-wide opposition. and i was also like to let you know that we have over 2885 signed petitions against this development, and we will have over 3000 in the near future, thank you. >> if you heard your name, come up. here are two other names that came up -- >> i represent arriba huntos. personally, i know workfare --

-- work there, arriba juntos, to serve others. being an employee is a great experience and we serve the people, and most of them -- they want to get a job and they want to -- new immigrants, low- income. they have language barriers and are not familiar with the new environment. they come from everywhere, china and mongolia, the philippines, armenia. they come here to the united states, and they want to hope for better future and they come to the center. they wished to have a better job and better opportunities.

you go to -- you can go to japan and when you go to france, you cannot be french. when you go to china, only if you come to the united states, you can be american, only when you come to america. i think the american country as a place for people with dreams, they want them to be better and say what they want and fight for what they believe. for us, we do the same thing and we try to get them better schools so that we need to space of because this is done in our hearts, is because i do not know about the project, they

tell us but they are not in -- informing the public. we are strongly against this, wanting for them to listen to us and asking them what we want and what we need. [speaking foreign language] >> thank you. >> good afternoon. this would the deputy director of inner-city youth and the director of youth first, and i

am here because i think to fully understand the concerns of the community, you have to understand the population. if you look at the staff, they represent what san francisco represents. we have different people and different ethnicities, and they're all coming together with one unified voice to say that this is an area of concern. this is an organization that is actually -- part of the community that they have reached out to to support this, and we also do violence prevention work. and is amazing, the commitment that we have not only to the mission, but the efforts, city- wide. with regard to uplifting the support services, with the commitment to make a change.

with these programs -- if this developer was really committed to having the mixed-use building, that would provide support to the community, this would have been established for before right now. my question is, what is your commitment to the community and the minorities, and the constituency. right now i do not see that commitment. speaking on behalf of the after- school programs, you cannot serve as a child without serving the family and that is the perspective that we take. when you look at those two programs and the state tax programs that provide services -- that provide services for hundreds of kids. that makes it vibrant.

for the condominium, the person who pays a half-million dollars, it is highly unlikely that this would be compatible. if you pay $500,000, you will not deal with the noise. you will not deal with the 800 people around the building when it is time for you to go home or go to work. and even entertain your guests. how can this be a good fit for this community and this program, and for the history that has been established in the mission? i strongly ask you to reconsider, giving this conditional permit until they are affecting this program. >> good afternoon. i am tracy brown, a native of san francisco and the homeowner.

in 1985, right after i graduated from mission high school, i had an internship with arriba juntos. this was a fun time. we were happy with this and i have been the chair of the northeast theater. i have made every opportunity to attend. i reached out to andrew and my daughter was sick and by this time he had met with those who share this with you already. i do know that i did reach out. arriba juntos offers a flea market where people sell their

items and this is the only way that these people make a living to live in san francisco. they talk about the food bank in the workforce development. i am a member of the investment community, and we had a meeting with over 100 people showing up to talk about jobs. one of the things was having a safe space that people feel comfortable coming to. this is not compatible project and not a good mix to use, this is not going good with the neighbors. there are people in the waiting room. we have no assurances that the condo owners will support these services including the flea market and all of the other services including violence prevention. this year to -- we are here to tell you that we a