Community Living Campaign

Cultivating connections to help seniors and people with disabilities age and thrive at home.

Cultivating connections to help seniors and people with disabilities age and thrive at home.

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Speak Up For The MUNI Services You Need!

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SPEAK UP FOR THE MUNI SERVICE YOU NEED!

On December 7, the SFMTA Board of Directors will vote on a Muni Service Plan for 2022. Their current proposal brings back a lot of service, but it does not restore Muni to pre-pandemic service levels, as the community has been asking for. The current proposal for 2022 Service includes the following:

  • The 3 Jackson and 47 Van Ness would remain suspended.
  • The 2 Clement would be restored with a modified route and would operate every 15 minutes all day on weekdays.
  • The 6 Haight/Parnassus would return every 20 minutes, and the 52 Excelsior and 66 Quintara would return to their past routes.
  • The 10 Townsend would be restored, but it would end at Sansome and Montgomery streets and run along 16th Street in Potrero Hill.
  • The 21 Hayes would be restored with a modified route and would run every 15 minutes.
  • The 31 Balboa would be rerouted to 5th Street, Townsend Street, 3rd Street and Harrison Street, with a terminal at the 4th and King Caltrain Station.

More details here.

Please ACT BEFORE DECEMBER 7 if this is not the Muni service you need!

  1. Call 415-646-2005
  2. Email TellMuni@sfmta.com and MTABoard@sfmta.com (cc your Supervisor and cathy@sfcommunityliving.org)

 

JOIN SDA’S CAMPAIGN FOR BUS SHELTERS: GIMME SHELTER!

From our partners at Senior & Disability Action: For years, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) has been denying requests from neighborhood public transit riders to install a bus shelter with seating at bus stops that are without seats. Prior to the pandemic, the SFMTA has been removing numerous bus shelters as a solution to deal with the homeless and street drug trafficking issues. We at Senior & Disability Action find that those actions are in conflict with the Americans with Disabilities Act. People with disabilities and seniors need seating and shelter while waiting for the next bus. At this time, only 34% of current bus stops have seating, and these are distributed inequitably, with the northern half of the city twice as likely to have shelters as the southern half, particularly Bayview/Hunters Point.SFMTA really needs our (transit riders who are seniors and people with impairments) help in creating a Muni Service Network that really addresses our needs.

SDA has developed a survey and petition for the new Gimme Shelter campaign. The task of both is communicate to the SFMTA the need for all bus stops to have a shelter with seating. Please take and share with others:

The Survey
English: https://tinyurl.com/Gimme-Shelter-Survey
Chinese: https://forms.gle/1UCFGrheqXfdbEqc7
Spanish: https://forms.gle/deT4ZWP1v8AngZGY8

The Petition
English: https://forms.gle/bJqUsRpTYyCAPFEJ8
Chinese: https://forms.gle/QgExKtE5xXSWEoAMA
Spanish: https://forms.gle/YRNffsyUPGiK6G7s9

If you’d like a hard copy of the survey and petition, please contact Pi Ra at srira@sdaction.org.

HOW SHOULD THE CITY SPEND TRANSPORTATION SALES TAX REVENUE?

San Francisco has a half-cent sales tax that funds transportation projects. The City plans to renew the sales tax soon, so it’s currently developing a spending plan for the expected revenues. The spending plan doesn’t identify specific transportation projects to fund, but rather outlines the percentage of tax revenue that will be dedicated to different transportation program categories.To help develop this spending plan, the City is asking the public to share feedback on what transportation programs are most important to them.
 
Take the SFCTA survey to make your voice heard:
https://www.research.net/r/transportation-sales-tax
 

CLC is urging residents to mark the following programs as “Very Important,” so we make sure that older adults and adults with disabilities are prioritized:

  • Paratransit Service for Seniors and Persons with Disabilities
  • Neighborhood and Equity Priority Community Planning

More details at https://www.sfcta.org/ExpenditurePlan.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

Dec 6 @ 1:30 pm; Land Use & Transportation Committee
Supervisor Peskin is calling a hearing on electric-powered scooters, after Nicole Bohn, the Director of the Mayor’s Office on Disability, was seriously injured after being hit by someone riding a scooter on a sidewalk.

Dec 13 @ 1:30 pm: Land Use & Transportation Committee
Supervisor Melgar is calling a hearing on the City’s responsibilities in maintaining safe and accessible sidewalks, as well as being accountable to public requests for sidewalk improvements. We’ll keep you updated, or stay tuned here: https://sfbos.org/meetings/land-use-and-transportation-committee.

LOWER SPEED LIMITS COMING TO SF STREETS

Thanks to a new state law, San Francisco now has more authority to set speed limits on our streets! That’s great news, since speed is a major factor in whether someone hit by a car lives or dies. Considering that older adults make up half of all pedestrians killed in San Francisco each year, lower speed limits could help us reduce this number.As early as January 2022, the SFMTA will lower speed limits by 5 mph (from 25 mph to 20 mph, or 30 mph to 25 mph) in key business activity districts (streets where at least half of the property uses are dining or retail). These speed limit changes require SFMTA Board approval, and the first seven corridors being brought to the Board for speed limit reductions from 25 to 20 mph include:

  • 24th Street, from Diamond to Chattanooga streets and from Valencia to San Bruno Avenue;
  • Fillmore Street, from Chestnut to Union streets and from Jackson to McAllister streets;
  • Haight Street, from Stanyan Street to Central Avenue and from Webster to Steiner streets;
  • Polk Street, from Filbert to Sutter streets;
  • Ocean Avenue, from Geneva Avenue to Victoria Street and from Junipero Serra Boulevard to 19th Avenue;
  • San Bruno Avenue, from Silver to Paul avenues; and
  • Valencia Street, from Cesar Chavez to Market streets

The SFMTA also plans to reduce speed limits on San Francisco’s high-injury corridors, where most traffic crashes are concentrated. You can learn more here about all the important speed limit changes that SFMTA is planning. In the meantime, let’s all slow down!

For more information about any of these transportation updates, please contact CLC’s Transportation Program Manager: Cathy DeLuca, cathy@sfcommunityliving.org, 415-638-9183.

Award Event Showcases Kindness

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The sixth annual Good Neighbor Award Event brought us together to celebrate the kindness and good work of some special neighbors.  If you missed the event or just want to relive, you can view the video of Good Neighbor Summer activities , meet the first round of honorees and the second round of honorees.   Or gosh, just sit back and view the event in it entirety.  

 

Bridging the Digital Divide in Unique Ways

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The need for more accessible and affordable technology to connect seniors and people with disabilities doesn’t end when the state officially opens.

Just because everyone is no longer sheltering in place doesn’t mean people — especially in underserved communities — don’t struggle with a lack of digital access, digital literacy, or tech support that have become so fundamental to our connected lives.

That’s why Community Living Campaign has partnered with the San Francisco Tech Council to regrant $50,000 in Equity and Innovation funding from Metta Fund to five community-based organizations that work to close the digital divide. We want to accelerate that work to decrease social isolation and improve wellness.

“We’re giving an opportunity to organizations that don’t have access to other funding so they can pilot ways to reduce social isolation and loneliness through tech access,” said Margot Rose Lederer, the equity and innovation pilot coordinator for the SF Tech Council.

“The pandemic was not all that different for some isolated seniors or adults with mobility challenges or who didn’t have access to transportation,” she said. “They always needed ways to connect to the world around them. It’s hard for them to attend things in person anyway, and that isn’t about to change.”

The whole grant process has also highlighted the need for multi-lingual tech training, so we’ve encouraged and supported groups that offer that.

Here are the organizations that received the grants.

Curry Senior Center

This group is funding Vietnamese-language digital literacy and tech training by lending tablets. This project focuses on the Tenderloin neighborhood, while the group also seeks to serve the LGBT community.

They’re providing tablets, training support and internet connectivity. They’re also expanding their digital resource programs for seniors.

Family Caregiver Alliance

They’re providing tablets, in-home support and internet connectivity for six months to Spanish-speaking caregivers. The goal is to improve health outcomes for the client as well as enable more professional learning and support for the caregivers. Caregivers have become especially isolated during the pandemic without the benefit of in-person and direct support.

“This group has struggled more with shifting to Zoom, in part because of their lack of tech,” Margot said. “Family caregivers also suffer from isolation and exhaustion due to the 24/7 nature of their roles.”

Felton Institute

“The focus here is on improving connectivity and access to health services for an often transient population,” Margot said. “That’s a challenge because it’s hard to keep in touch with people who move more than most.”

The Institute specializes in helping people with behavioral health challenges throughout the city; it’s in a good position to help this population.

Mission Neighborhood Center

This grant focuses on a small group of LatinX, Spanish-speaking seniors in the Mission District, partnering with health providers to improve wellness and fitness.

This group had exercise classes and health screenings before the pandemic. The grant enables them to integrate digital devices, like Fitbit step trackers. That lets individuals monitor themselves and keep up with their activities, Margot said.

Televisit

This nonprofit tech organization customizes tablets to make them simpler to use, targeting Chinese seniors. They’re also providing in-home support and internet connectivity. That makes it easier to participate in social activities and connect with family.

In particular, the tablets are designed for those with cognitive decline and linguistic, cultural and personal limitations.

Since receiving funding, this group has also incorporated classes on racism. The rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders has increased the tension and fear, especially in the senior community.

“In these pilots, we’ve enabled groups to innovate and iterate as the project progresses if they see an additional service they can contribute,” Margot said.

 

To find out more about the SF Tech Council, visit their website.

Learn more about other ways CLC helps people connect through technology, read this.

Here’s How You Can Help Seniors Age at Home with Dignity

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Do you think San Francisco should spend more money on services to help older adults and adults with disabilities age at home?

We have an opportunity to encourage Mayor London Breed and the Board of Supervisors to restore the annual funding for those services, through the Dignity Fund, in the upcoming budget.

Show your support by signing the letter we sent them by clicking here.

During the pandemic, the city suspended its annual $3 million budget allocation to the Dignity Fund. That was especially challenging for the people the fund helps: older adults and people with disabilities.

They’re the people most likely to have found themselves trapped in their homes and isolated. They’re more likely to be unable to access regular health care or transportation to medical appointments. We’ve seen increased food insecurity as well.

How You Can Help

But now, with state and federal funding, the city has the ability to restore funding for these services. Here’s the Dignity Fund Coalition  Sign-on Letter to Restore the Promise of the Dignity Fund. 

You can join the fight by co-signing the letter to the Mayor and the Supervisors here, showing you agree that funding should be restored.

Alternatively, call or email your district Supervisor and tell them you want them to restore the annual $3 million allocation to the Dignity Fund. Click here to find out how to reach your supervisor.

For more information, visit https://sfdignityfund.org/.

 

 

 

 

Musical Theater Dance with Carolyn (Virtual)

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Show Time! This class is designed to give seniors an opportunity to live some of their musical theater dreams, as Carolyn Hutchinson takes participants through a whole dance routine, starting with warmups and focusing on how to balance their weight and draw attention to different muscle groups. People who can stand will rise and use their chair (sofa or counter at home) to be their dance “barre”.  The class will culminate in the  “center” with movement from “Cool” from West Side Story.
This class is appropriate for participants of all skill levels and with conditions such as Parkinson’s.

HOW TO JOIN THE CLASS:

To join by phone, dial 888-475-4499 (toll free) or 669-900-6833 (local).
Enter Meeting ID: 865 6747 4200, then press # twice.

To join with video, click this link: https://zoom.us/j/86567474200 to register and join. Wait in the “waiting room” until the activity is ready to start.

To create a friendly environment and minimize interruptions, we will close the activity to new participants 15 minutes after the start time.

Music Talk with Richie Unterberger: Jazz Greats (Virtual)

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Join music historian and author Richie Unterberger for a fascinating program on jazz greats, in honor of African-American history month. The featured performers will include Dizzy Gillespie, Nina Simone, Cab Calloway, Roland Kirk, Hugh Masekela, Ella Fitzgerald, and Lionel Hampton, among others.

HOW TO JOIN THE EVENT:

To join by phone, dial 888-475-4499 (toll-free) or 669-900-6833 (local). Enter Meeting ID: 865 6747 4200, then press # twice.
To join with video, click this link: https://zoom.us/j/86567474200 to register and join. Wait in the “waiting room” until the activity is ready to start.

To create a friendly environment and minimize interruptions, we will close the activity to new participants 15 minutes after the start time. The above link will work on your tablet or your computer. You’ll be prompted to download a Zoom app the first time you use Zoom. If you’re using a PC or Mac, you can join from your web browser without using the Zoom software.

Art Viewing Adventures: Portrait Face Off (Virtual)

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Numerous scientific studies have shown that we are drawn to images of the human face from the very start of our lives. So it’s no surprise that portraits play a very special role in the world of art and that many of its most beloved images fall into this category.

Local museum guide Rodney Paul will be joined by Charlie Goldberg for a Portrait Face Off. Charlie, who recently gave a class on Portraiture, will show some of his favorite images. After Charlie shows an artwork, Rodney will respond with a portrait that he has selected, and they will discuss the relationship between the two. Charlie and Rodney won’t know beforehand which images the other will be showing. Audience members will be invited to share their thoughts, and we’ll all use polling to determine which of these images we’d want hanging in our homes.

(Image: “A Set of Six Portraits” by Andy Warhol, 1967)

HOW TO JOIN THE EVENT:

To join by phone, dial 888-475-4499 (toll-free) or 669-900-6833 (local). Enter Meeting ID: 865 6747 4200, then press # twice.
To join with video, click this link: https://zoom.us/j/86567474200 to register and join. Wait in the “waiting room” until the activity is ready to start.

To create a friendly environment and minimize interruptions, we will close the activity to new participants 15 minutes after the start time. The above link will work on your tablet or your computer. You’ll be prompted to download a Zoom app the first time you use Zoom. If you’re using a PC or Mac, you can join from your web browser without using the Zoom software.

Walking Safely with Walk San Francisco (Virtual)

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Join Walk San Francisco’s Brian Haagsman and Community Living Campaign’s Jennifer Walsh to talk about how to walk safely this fall. We’ll discuss how to get out and exercise by walking amidst COVID-19, during wildfire season, and through the various street changes popping up in neighborhoods (e.g. Slow Streets, Shared Spaces).

And we’ll share how you can get feedback to the City when things aren’t working. Participants will be entered to win one of ten Walking Maps of San Francisco as well as five $10 Safeway giftcards. Captioning will be provided.

Photo Credit: Eric Tuvel

To join by phone, dial 888-475-4499 (toll free) or 669-900-6833 (local). Enter Meeting ID: 870 9317 2392 & Passcode 204674.

To join with video, click this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87093172392 to register and join. Wait in the “waiting room” until the activity is ready to start.

To create a friendly environment and minimize interruptions, we will close the activity to new participants 15 minutes after the start time.

The above link will work on your tablet or your computer. You’ll be prompted to download a Zoom app the first time you use Zoom. If you’re using a PC or Mac, you can join from your web browser without using the Zoom software.

Fire Safety at Home (Virtual)

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Now that we’re all spending more time at home and cooking more, we need to make sure our homes are fire-safe! This talk will cover how to prevent a home fire, steps to take in response to a home fire, and the recovery actions you should take immediately after a home fire. The presenter will go through home safety checklists, family disaster plans, and teach participants how to use a fire extinguisher and install smoke alarms. Learn how to stay safe at home!

 

To join by phone, dial 888-475-4499 (toll free) or 669-900-6833 (local).
Enter Meeting ID: 865 6747 4200, then press # twice.

To join with video, click this link: https://zoom.us/j/86567474200 to register and join. Wait in the “waiting room” until the activity is ready to start.

To create a friendly environment and minimize interruptions, we will close the activity to new participants 15 minutes after the start time.

The above link will work on your tablet or your computer. You’ll be prompted to download a Zoom app the first time you use Zoom. If you’re using a PC or Mac, you can join from your web browser without using the Zoom software.

Traveling Safely During COVID-19 (Virtual)

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Getting around San Francisco is challenging for seniors and people with disabilities in the best of times, but during the COVID crisis, it’s hard to keep track of what the options are.

We are here to help! Join Cathy DeLuca from CLC to hear the latest about all your transportation options, including Muni, Paratransit, driving, taxis and Uber/Lyft, and even how to have fun on your local walks! Cathy will be joined by Natasha Opfell from SF Paratransit’s Mobility Management Center and Phillip Pierce from the SFMTA who will be able to answer questions about city transportation services.

You must register for this meeting:

Captioning will be provided. To request other disability-related accommodations, or to obtain a printed or digital version of event materials, please contact us at (415) 638-9183 or cathy@sfcommunityliving.org. Providing at least 72 hours’ notice will help us make accommodations to the greatest extent possible.