With presentations by Leah Filler of Lava Mae and Christian Calinsky of Taking It to the Streets (T2S), and additional input from Shira Noel, Homeless Youth Alliance, and Matt Bartek of Larkin Street Youth Services, those braving a rainy evening to attend the March general meeting got a real education on some services that are making a difference for homeless youth in our neighborhood.
Lava Mae is a bus-based movable shower/bathroom facility built into old MUNI buses. The first destination close to the Haight Ashbury is to be on the sidewalk outside the DMV building on Baker Street across from the Panhandle. It should begin operation in a couple of weeks, with a once-a-week schedule. The buses are staffed, to monitor usage, with each user allowed 15-20 minutes of private time to bathe. Each shower unit (there are two on each bus) is serviced with current technological appliances (like electronic water managers) and is cleaned thoroughly after each use. For more information on the program, visit Lava Mae’s website at www.lavamae.org and consider donating to this innovative and impressive effort.
T2S is a program started by Christian Calinsky and Carlie LeDuc of Mom’s Tattoo shop on Haight Street. Now a 501(c)3 charitable organization, T2S employs homeless youth to clean the streets of the neighborhood in exchange for food and housing. They have a building outside of the neighborhood that provides SRO rooms for these workers and several Haight Street restaurants are donating food (including 1428, Amal’s Deli and Escape from New York Pizza). They seek donations of gently worn clothes and new socks and underwear, as well as cash. Visit the T2S website for more information: www.takingittothestreetssf.org. And if you see the workers (usually toting orange trash bags), give them a nod of thanks for their service!
Homeless Youth Alliance and Larkin Street Youth Services are both well-involved with T2S, bringing together service providers for a more effective effort to make a difference for our young homeless population. More information at their websites: www.homelessyouthalliance.org and www.larkinstreetyouth.org .