SAN FRANCISCO — Governor Gavin Newsom will deliver welcoming remarks at the 75th Project Homeless Connect (PHC) Community Day of Service tomorrow in San Francisco. In 2004, then-Mayor Newsom and the San Francisco Department of Public Health created PHC as a way to bring necessary services to people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco.
PHC uses a unique approach to service delivery to meet the needs of homeless San Franciscans. They serve more than 6,000 people every year through Community Day of Service events and in-house weekly services. In one day at a Community Day of Service event, a person experiencing homelessness can find services that would otherwise take months to secure. Volunteers, nonprofits, and government agencies provide participants with services through PHC. These services include dental care, eyeglasses, HIV testing, HepA vaccines, housing information, groceries, hygiene products, medical care, mental health services, SSI benefits, legal advice, California identification cards, voice mail accounts, employment counseling/job placement, wheelchair repair, addiction services, and more.
Homelessness and housing insecurity have been a top priority for the Governor since taking office. The Governor’s first budget provides $1 billion to help cities and counties fight homelessness, expedites review and approval for navigation centers and emergency shelters to help cities get people off the street faster, and provides $20 million in legal aid to help renters facing eviction. Just last week, the Governor signed the strongest package of statewide renter protections in the nation as well as 18 bills designed to help jumpstart housing production. Included was SB 330, major legislation aimed at removing local barriers to housing construction and speeding up new development. The state budget made a historic $1.75 billion investment in new housing and created major incentives – both sticks and carrots – to incentivize cities to approve new home construction.
WHEN: Wednesday, October 16, 2019 at 9:30 a.m. Press should be checked in and set up no later than 9:00 a.m.
WHERE: Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, 99 Grove Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
**Note: This event is open to credentialed media only. Due to privacy concerns, no recording of individuals receiving assistance is permitted. Reporters interested in attending must RSVP to govpressoffice@gov.ca.gov and mfreebeck@projecthomelessconnect.org by 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, October 16, 2019.