Education

Teachers Brace for Hybrid School Reopening, Flag Equity Concerns

03.18.2021
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San Francisco public schools are still closed, despite protests and a lawsuit pushing for them to return to in-person education as soon as possible. But there is a plan to reopen, partially and with a hybrid model. Three educators — school social worker Yajaira Cuapio, special education teacher Megan Caluza and kindergarten teacher Cathy Sullivan — weighed in on the new school schedule and talked with “Civic” about the impacts of school closures on them and the families they work with. » Read more

Housing

Renters Are Still Being Displaced, Tenant Advocate Says

03.17.2021
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At the beginning of the year, a tenant attorney warned of an “avalanche” of evictions unless California legislators reached a deal to extend tenant protections. They did, and applications recently opened for a support program designed to help both low-income tenants and their landlords with growing rent debt. » Read more

Coronavirus
During the early days of the pandemic, San Francisco residents displayed signs expressing gratitude for essential workers and posted personal notes of appreciation on a tree near the corner of Vallejo and Gough streets.

How This Pandemic Year Has Changed Us

03.17.2021
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A year ago, it seemed all of San Francisco was making one last trip to the store, as if preparing for a hurricane or blizzard. We were not yet wearing masks.

At the San Francisco Public Press, we had started transitioning to remote work two weeks prior, taking cues from tech companies that made early calls for employees to stay home. » Read more

Homelessness
A homeless person sits under a blanket next to a cluster of tents in the Tenderloin May 13. Noah Arroyo / San Francisco Public Press

Hygiene, Hotels, Housing: One Year of SF Pandemic Homelessness Policy

03.16.2021
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Since coronavirus cases were first recorded in San Francisco, the city has had to grapple with the question of how to minimize potential outbreaks of the disease among unhoused people. Two reporters who have been covering the city’s response to homelessness during the pandemic for the San Francisco Public Press, Brian Howey and Nuala Bishari, reflect with “Civic” on a year of stories about seizing belongings, COVID-19 testing, hotel policy and supportive housing.  » Read more

“Civic” Podcast
Christoph Zepeda, clinical counselor on facing a year of isolation, loneliness and stress during the pandemic.

Managing Trauma and Grief During COVID-19

03.15.2021
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A year into the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly everyone living in the United States has experienced some level of psychological distress. 

The National Center for Health Statistics found more than 39% of adults surveyed in February of this year reported symptoms of anxiety or depression, an increase of 8% from April 2020. » Read more

Homelessness
A water spigot in the Tenderloin is one of several San Francisco set up to help homeless residents with limited water access.

Lack of Water for Homeless San Franciscans Called a ‘Human Rights Abuse’

03.15.2021
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The lack of fresh water available to homeless people in San Francisco during the COVID-19 pandemic constitutes a “human rights abuse,” a community organizer said as the city’s shelter-in-place orders drag into a second year.

Before the pandemic, many of the city’s homeless residents relied on bathrooms in restaurants, libraries and other public facilities to bathe, collect drinking water and use the toilet. » Read more

“Civic” Podcast
Long-term care advocates in front of the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

Long-Term Care Residents Need Visitation to Thrive, Advocates Say

03.12.2021
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On the sidewalk in front of the San Francisco Department of Public Health on Thursday morning, a dozen or so activists stood holding yellow signs reading “Isolation kills, too!” Julie Schneider, the field service coordinator for the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, was one of these advocates for residents of facilities like nursing homes, who have been calling for in-person visitation in long-term care to resume promptly. “Civic” spoke with Schneider and volunteer ombudsman Richard Correia at the demonstration. “If you spend enough time around people that are in the end stages of their life, there are things that keep them going. And then there are times when, you know, they lose the will,” Correia said. One of those things is seeing loved ones, he said.

Health

SF High School Students Organize Peer Mental Health Support

03.09.2021
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Youth mental health was a growing concern even before the pandemic, but the isolation of sheltering in place has come with an increase in depression and unhappiness among young people. San Francisco high school students have been reaching out to one another despite schools being closed to offer some support. » Read more

Education

Parents: School Closures Have Harmed Student Mental Health, Worsened Inequities

03.08.2021
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San Francisco public schools remain closed and students are still distance learning. Three parents of children in the district told “Civic” how they would like schools to reopen. José-Luis Tekun Mejia, Alicia Cruz and Jennifer Sey also expressed concern about the toll that being out of school for nearly a year has been taking on young people and parents alike. » Read more