helpful. it slows things. >> my name is nancy cross. i will not tell the story of crystal, because i want to add what i said, relatively uniquely, and talk about the processes and participations that gets to a solution. the theme of my two minutes is the flow for real solutions. we have not got real solutions. we have talked about distress and more money. but that is not a solution. it is nonprofit. we need bodies in which people can brainstorm solutions, and not just complain and gripe. we need those other things as well, but we need to put our mind on that without thinking about remedies. going as far as we can, the statement i am reading before

the human rights commission has never been publicly determined. and i have endeavored it. this is from dr. hall. "good afternoon, my name is rodney hall. i have talked to you in many different roles, but tonight it is says a former president and speaker of the benson hotel association. we have had substantial -- i will skip a bit there -- about the tenderloin housing clinic, which received virtually 100% of the funding from the city and county of san francisco. that is the worst possible organization you can imagine in terms of business practices and money. i found out from business sources that they are one of the most sued organizations in the city, but we go to the rent board for relief and tell them they are not eligible. it protects the organization

from action against the red board. we have tried several losses because business is so bad and we cannot get a law firm to represent it. no one will touch the organization -- [tone] supervisor olague: thank you. >> there are grievances -- supervisor olague: thank you. >> grievances that are now allowed publicly. i asked you -- supervisor olague: thank you. before i start calling the speaker cards, is there anyone who has certain physical challenges that would force them to leave the hearing early? no? i will start calling cards shortly. >> i will read what i have here first. i am 82 years old. hello, good morning, everybody.

our program participations, i think the most important things are the steady and continued increase of san francisco seniors publications, plus increased need for support and services. central statements -- good morning, supervisors. my name is the morris [unintelligible] , i am 82 years old, a senior, one of 18,000 living in san francisco. we are not getting any younger. our needs, our needs for service will not decrease. please insure the findings or services for seniors, such as the programs provided by the neighborhood center. dhns, the community center

getting [unintelligible] we do not deserve to be neglected or discarded. the high percentage of seniors with limited or no english language skills. sample statements, preferable in their native language, translated by someone for them. good morning, supervisors. my name, again, is [unintelligible] and buy him one of many seniors who participates in the neighborhood center, bnc community service center program, because i know there is someone who can speak my language. i try to speak english but sometimes it is hard with the complicated forms that i need to fill out. i wish that there were more programs that provided programs in my language so that i could get help to support my needs. i remain, with all my love [ kissing noises]

kisses. we will be waiting for your response. thank you, have a good day. [tone] >> hello, my name is estella moreno, a member of the excelsior community center. i am here just to urge you to please continue to fund the services. this is a place where seniors go and they are not isolated at home. my preference here today is just for continued funding and, if possible, increase the funding, but not to make any cuts on what we have. thank you. [applause] >> my name is [unintelligible] and our position is hard. i am taking care of my wife, with alzheimer's.

formerly she was being taken care of by the adopted care center, but at the moment she was struck in her face by someone, i think that these stones should take care of their glances. now, i am taking care of the past few months, 77 years old. living now in house, fortunately enough the center has found a place to live. we are in a house on the city street that is dangerous to live that. -- live there. [unintelligible] we were almost stabbed. we reported it to the police. we were told we had to forgive that man. we have forgiven him. now, i came here with a place to

live. i am glad that they're going to put up a station at 6 street. at sixth street there are lots of things going on everyday. thank you very much. [tone] >> good morning, supervisor. i have a letter from a 98-year- old and i am going to read her statement. i could not remember why i stayed in hospitals six months ago. i guess that that is why i have a true memory. i wonder where i should go after being discharged from hospital.

the plan was very helpful in the care home, which provided four hours, seven days a week. now i am living in that care home. every day i see smiley faces and do not have to worry about my day to day activities, especially the medication. all the time i am not quite sure if i take medication or not. in the home, is that gives me medication with dr. instruction. also in the care home, they range different activities, like going out to golden gate park. in deeply appreciated. there are care services taking care people like me. without those kinds of services, definitely i would wind up wondering on the street. so, today, may i take this opportunity to let you know how

important it is to provide care services and a home to the alzheimer's elderly, just like me. so, if you can, please put this issue on top of the discussion list. thank you for listening to my story. thank you. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- supervisor olague supervisor olago remind members of the public to prioritize those with needs to speak first. >> [speaking for languageforeig] >> i am a senior. my name is [unintelligible] and i, myself, will translate for her. >> [i a speaking foreign

language]

[applause] >> my name is [unintelligible] and i am a graduate of the 87th home health aide training class. i am a new immigrant and an older worker. i see that half of the job- seekers at chinatown one-stop are older workers. it is almost impossible for job seekers like myself to get a job without learning english and new vocational skills. i urge the city to support and protect funding for housekeeping and home health aide training programs. without these vital training programs, it would be impossible for myself, for job seekers like me, to overcome barriers to employment, to have hope and direction in my life to

meaningful work. thank you. [applause] >> good morning, supervisors of san francisco. supervisor olague: could you please stand in front of the microphone? story, to your right. >> i would just like to say that i have been in san francisco for 33 years. is a wonderful city. i hope that there is so light you can balance the city budget. there are a lot of programs in the city where we need money to keep these programs in the mental health system running. i just hope to work something out, because i know you are very busy. thank you for the consideration. [applause] >> hello?

vi am 78 year old. i want to thank the government for giving us the opportunity for english citizenship, so that we can apply for citizenship. before, i do not know english, but now i can speak a little english. [unintelligible] thank you.

>> [speaking a foreign language]

>> ok, thank you, i will do the translation. first, she would like to thank the city and county of san francisco, staff, for their services and the different incentives in the bay area. especially the organization for the elderly. the center is now a part of their life, with the volunteers and frenchy hazmat there, that is herfamily. they give her support and energy, more than her children get hurt.

in the center they receive a variety of meals, and educational opportunities, such as [unintelligible] and dancing. she has felt happier and healthier after joining the program. she believes most of the seniors that participate in the program feel the same way. however, using a limited space in the senior centers, sometimes she cannot participate. on behalf of the seniors, she would like to again show her creation nation throughout the san francisco city county for the elderly, staff, and volunteers. she urges you to continue such wonderful services. this is the place she calls her home. thank you. supervisor olague: thank you. [applause] >> good morning. my name is lucy bravo. hello. i am a member of the senior

center community. i have spent many hours, and i am help -- at the -- happy and healthy because of the community. i am here to talk about home delivered meals. 10 years ago, i became a widow. at that time it was a busy and tragic time. i just did not know what i was going to do. the care i had to give my husband was tremendous. when i was sitting, crying at the breakfast table by myself, this thought came into my head. home delivered meals. home delivered meals. why did i not think of that before? i made a call to the center and i was directed to the person in charge of home delivered meals. within two days she was at my home, assessing my situation. and within three days, i had my first home delivered meal.

i was so thankful that every day, when that man or woman came to my door between 12:00 and 1:00, i said it is thanksgiving day. i thank you so much, because i do not ever want those home delivered meals to be cut back. they are truly important, when they are in need. when healthy, seniors do a lot. i thank you very much. [applause] supervisor olague: if everyone could sit down at this point, if everyone could sit down, i will start calling the cards because most of those who needed to speak initially have spoken. i will just start calling cards and everyone will get the opportunity to speak. go ahead, the next person can speak and then everyone else can sit down. yes, we can start calling cards again. >> good morning, folks.

my name is france's burns. i want to congratulate you on trying to form a task force to take on this problem of the seniors and handicapped. i believe, firmly, in senior centers and where we can gather. i think that the senior center that i joined by retired as a volunteer has kept me mentally alert, physically well. i am able to have a hot lunch every day. i do not have to cook, shop, or prepare. no dishes. it is wonderful for me. i have just passed my 90th birthday and i think i am here because of that. thank you very much. >> sorry to be speaking of

sequence. i have another meeting to attend at noon. my name is herbert weiner, in '73, a social worker for the city and home support services program. i want to address some major concerns. first, the transit effectiveness project is an agent that stands for trashing elders. the district supervisor, people are expected to walk a quarter of a mile to some us stop, including the 33 ashbury line on ashbury street. what are people expected to do without the services of muni? are they expected to crawl to their destinations? this is the most in human proposal. it basically has to be reexamined. i am surprised that the american disabilities act lawsuit has not

been filed. this is basically a cosmetic program and management operations have to be audited first. the second thing regards proposition [unintelligible] that pass that the poll. -- past at the polls. it will impact lack of coverage and impact disabled seniors. basically, the board of supervisors passed this unanimously, the tea party with a liberal face. the other thing is, basically, the city is attacking seniors through public transportation or other programs. they are pandering to hustlers to make a buck. we have served the city and we deserve a lot better. thank you. [applause] supervisor olague: thank you.

i will start calling names now. michael lyon? amber carol? [unintelligible] pam no. if you heard your name, could you start coming up to the microphone? richard schmidt, followed by [unintelligible] >> my name is michael lyon, from the senior action network. and from the gray panthers. it really is heartbreaking to cure the cuts that have been made over the next five years. the prospect of being joyful over a flat budget being caught in the nature is so much greater over the next 10 years, that is

very scary. there is no other way to put it. i think that if you look at who is calling the shots in this city, state, and country, old people, people with disabilities, kids are really the useless eaters, and i use that term advisedly. remembering what they were in history. the only way that this is going to get solved this by enforcing the rich corporations to make huge increases in taxes. supervisor olague: thank you. [applause] >> hello, my name is amber carol. i am from the aging disability resource center. i just wanted to respond to the concerns over services in the sunset district. the adrc has 19 roving stations

throughout the city in the inner and outer sunset. we are trying to provide services to seniors and adults with disabilities. by providing staff, at this point, four days a week. our staff has people that speak english, russian, and chinese in that community. we have been partnering with those organizations, other churches, meals on wheels. we are certainly willing to entertain other ideas to reach out to more people. thank you. supervisor elsbernd: thank you. next speaker, please. >> good morning, supervisors. my name is [unintelligible] and i am a community organizer at the sro community

collaborative, part of a group addressing the needs of seniors and people living in sro hotels. we are formally working with a lobby and her position with senior action network. there are over 500 in san francisco, and many of the residents are seniors or people with disabilities. often, they cannot meet the needs of the population. many do not have working elevators or elevators at all. many have passed infestations or no on-site services specific to the needs of those seniors. there are often general have the ability concerns. we have seen more and more seniors aging in place in sro's. many have no other housing options other than the sro's. the working group in a part of conducted a survey of seniors

with disabilities for sros' we have been working on a report outlining recommendations for addressing these needs of seniors in sro's. in november we have a hearing to discuss the findings of our survey. we will be addressing the hearing at the land use committee called by supervisor mar to specifically discuss the recommendations and how to implement the recommendations being made on the survey. the committee hearing on sro's for seniors will be on the 11th and i invite everyone here to join us for that. thank you. supervisor olague: thank you. >> that afternoon. my name is roberta harry and i represent the service agency, the national council of aging, and three separate programs.

this afternoon in all the different cuts, we had a holistic approach, working with seniors in the city of san francisco. be assisted seniors in accessing over $100 million in services and benefits to stabilize them. if certain services are cut, like meals on wheels and other supportive services, this will put a great strain on those seniors, causing them to go further down, economically. our goal is to work with them for services like in home support services that are cut, which are vital to their survival. we should think about seniors in the foundation of this city. thank you. supervisor olague: at this time, i would like to ask james to come up. he did have a statement or a request. >> thank you, supervisor.

thank you for holding this hearing. i wanted to mention this to the crowd and everyone. this silver surged, this has been a success. the fact that there are all of these people here, packed into the chambers, so many people here, we did not realize that there would be this much community passion going on. that said, because there are so many vibrant seniors engaged in advocation, fired up, ready to come down here to speak to their rights, we have unfortunately impeded upon some other pre- existing schedules. such as, many of the seniors have to have lunch. as we all know, food security is one of the critical parts of staying healthy. so, there is that.