PicoBlog

I will tell you my personal and professional experience with Jennifer Friedenbach, executive director of Coalition on Homelessness, San Francisco.

In 2017, SFPD Captain (now Assistant Chief) David Lazar invited me to join the new Community Police Advisory Board on Homelessness. I was honored. This subject is close to my heart, not just because I hate to see so much suffering and want to be a positive force in my city, but because members of my immediate family have been homeless. Several struggled with addiction and mental health issues. Anyone on the streets could be my blood relatives. I never forget that.

Friedenbach and her employee Kelley Cutler also served on the board, along with about a dozen city leaders, clergy members, and business owners. Our job was to develop strategies that would bridge the gap between law enforcement and residents. People experiencing homelessness could then get the appropriate services as the community becomes safer.

However, almost immediately Friedenbach and Cutler made it clear that they should be in charge of the meetings. It was a power play and these two were prepared. They openly opposed police involvement, railed against “sweeps” (cleaning up illegal encampments) and disregarded residents’ valid concerns about crime and squalor.

One day I walked in to find Cutler distributing political materials to all the board members. It was about Proposition C, a measure they spearheaded that would tax high revenue corporations, with the money going to homeless activists to manage.

Even Sen. Scott Wiener opposed the plan. Yet with advocacy from Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, the measure passed. But that’s another story. 

Meanwhile, as a board, our only option was to try to work together. Our task was to streamline communication between the community and the police force regarding homeless concerns. 

First up was a refined script for 911 operators. When people called to report a wide variety of homeless concerns, the Department of Emergency Management worker would know exactly what to say and do. It would set the stage for realistic expectations and reduce frustration. 

I suggested posters in bus shelters to give guidance on who to contact under different circumstances. It would list all the agencies and phone numbers a person could call for food, clothing, shelter, drug addiction treatment, and mental health services. People who wanted to assist someone down on their luck could also use it as a reference, as it would outline the situations when 911 would be most appropriate so as not to clog the system. 

Time and time again, Friedenbach and Cutler dismissed common sense measures, claiming they would demonize the homeless. 

“There is a man sleeping on a discarded mattress on a busy street above a tunnel, in my neighborhood,” I said in one meeting. “The sidewalk is blocked, the man needs help. We need to make sure that people can call this in so the situation is rectified.” 

“You hate the poor,” replied Cutler. It made my head spin. I hate the poor? I explained the extreme hardships my own mother had faced, including living in a car with some of my younger siblings. “Then you hate your mother,” she replied.  

I’ll never forget that exchange. She may deny it, but it happened and I have witnesses. 

This is what we in San Francisco have been dealing with. A mad ideology that has fooled many caring people and even the founder of Salesforce into trusting that the Coalition on Homelessness is providing a valuable service. They aren’t.

The fact is, Friedenbach doesn’t strive to get people out of encampments and into shelter.  She and her group distribute tents while strong-arming the city into taking over hotels and buildings as permanent housing. This was tried during the pandemic and even the San Francisco Chronicle covered the disaster it caused. There is no real focus on helping people become healthy, self-sufficient individuals. Perhaps because it's not in the organization’s best interest to do so. 

The board ended about a year after it was enacted. Many members just stopped showing up, and I suspect it was because Friedenbach and Cutler made success all but impossible. I was devastated. I attended every meeting and truly wanted something positive to come of it. We could have created efficiencies, enabling desperate people to be linked to crucial services. Instead, conditions have worsened. As the Fentalyl crisis rages, more people are on the street in dire physical and psychological shape.  

Finally, the Coalition faces intense scrutiny. Their power and influence is waning. Benioff seems to have fled the city. The booming tech industry that was to largely fuel the Prop C funds is crashing. 

Today’s social media activists are brutally, relentlessly honest about Friedenbach and what she promotes. Fear of retribution doesn’t appear to exist. Twitter has become the sounding board for livid residents and business owners who are acutely aware about how she has negatively impacted people and the city. They’re demanding debate and accountability.

Most recently the Coalition on Homelessness (with the ACLU and a few homeless people) sued the city of San Francisco to stop the clearing of tents and encampments. Instead, they want the government to provide a place for every single person in - and who arrives in - the city. They overplayed their hand.   

“It defies logic to require that San Francisco have shelter for all persons experiencing homelessness before San Francisco may enforce these laws against any one person, even after that individual has refused adequate shelter,” said City Attorney David Chiu, as reported in SFist. “It would take years and an additional $1.45 billion to build the required shelter beds and provide homeless services.”

Savvy local politicians are wise to back away from the Coalition on Homelessness and renounce all remaining support. A revolution is brewing. While not fast enough for many San Franciscans who want their city to be in

better shape now, times are indeed changing.

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