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.

leadership

Speak Up For The MUNI Services You Need!

by

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

by

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.  

 

CLC Board of Directors Adopts Leadership Statement on DEIB

by

The CLC Board of Directors approved a strong statement on our commitment to Diversity, Equity, Including and Belonging to guide the continuing efforts of our DEIB Task Force in implementing a focused list of recommendations.  More information to follow, but we wanted to share the statement as soon as possible, included below.  

DEIB Initiative Leadership Statement  Adopted by the CLC Board of Directors July 27, 2021

Our Commitment

Diversity

We believe that developing a workplace and leadership structure that is representative and inclusive of race, ability, age, language, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, and religion is critical to accomplishing our organizational mission and addressing the injurious effects of systemic power and privilege.  We believe that when we better reflect the communities we serve, our ability to identify and understand the needs of those communities grows, and our work has a greater impact.  

Equity

We strive to empower those who experience systemic and historic oppression by building workplace norms and practices that aim to treat everyone equitably by encouraging everyone to contribute their ideas, perspectives, and opinions, paying particular attention to how privilege has historically been given, and how that history provides advantage to some groups and individuals over others.

Inclusion

We acknowledge that social identities impact the way people communicate, whose opinions are respected, and who struggles with misconceptions, judgments, or preconceived notions. We work to foster a welcoming and collaborative environment where those who may otherwise be silenced are included and respected, so that they can bring their best skills and talent to their work, feel fulfilled and feel unified as a team, knowing that together, we have more impact.

Belonging

We are committed to fostering an open and trusting workplace culture, where biases and stereotypes are discussed and challenged using shared norms and language and everyone feels clearly aligned with CLC’s values, mission, and commitment to equity, fairness, and racial justice.

Resilience is Buoyancy and Showing Up, Nicky Says

by

Resiliency is buoyancy. It’s like those buoys you see off the coast, battered by powerful waves in storms, but they just don’t sink. They stay afloat. And they signal to others the line between safety and danger.

Resiliency is one of the qualities we’ve come to admire and appreciate so acutely in the last year. As May is Older Americans Month, we’re spotlighting a couple of Community Living Campaign staff members who have done a great job of demonstrating strength and resilience and what that means.

Nicky Trasvina, one of our Community Connectors, felt that some of the best examples of resiliency are the often unseen, underappreciated essential workers. They continued to step up and keep San Francisco running while most of us were able to shelter in place.

Leaders Feeding Neighbors

Another great example of resiliency are community leaders, like the handful in the Mission who provided food to about 3,000 families each week.

“This continues as an amazing, tremendous undertaking by local leaders in that community, including Roberto Hernandez, Valerie Tolier, Tracy Brown, Ray Ponce and others,” Nicky said. “They created the space and tapped all their resources to get hundreds of pounds of food donated each week. It was such an abundance of food that would have otherwise gone to waste.”

She’s grateful for the opportunity to play a part in the operation, picking up leftover food supplies from donors to be distributed by other volunteers.

Nicky also sought ways to help neighbors and friends in small ways, like bringing them things they needed.

Acting generously also relieved some of the feelings of helplessness so many of us felt. So she also gave financially to some organizations she cares about, following the old adage to “put your money where your mouth is!”

Strength in Prayer

And through it all, one of her primary sources of strength has been prayer.

“Depending on prayer gives me a lot of strength,” Nicky said. “And I think this helps others. I think people appreciate it when they know someone is praying for them. So when I say I’m going to pray for you, I just stop and say the prayer right then.”

She’s also found more connection by reaching out to old friends, neighbors and former students since she was a college adviser. And not just by phone and text.

“It’s not unusual to find me standing out in my front yard talking to people who go by,” Nicky said. “I feel it’s part of my role in getting our neighbors connected. And it’s fun! I’m like the stereotypical old lady looking out through her blinds watching everything, but people like it!”

 

Read another profile of our Community Connector Laura Atkins.

Smiling Eyes, Elbow Bumps Galore at Senior Power Event

by

We’re back in person!

Senior Power’s outdoor event was a big hit, attracting neighbors in the Sunset to enjoy each other’s company once again, plus enjoy the talents of some of our participants.

Old friends who had not seen each other in a year or more bumped elbows and everyone’s eyes conveyed the smiles that masks couldn’t conceal

“It was a homecoming for many Senior Power participants and a tentative step forward into an enveloping community spirit for others,” said Margaret Graf, Senior Power’s fearless leader. “We’re back. We’re stronger than before. We’re together again.”

“Personally, my heart leaped through my ribcage!” she continued. “All thoughts of the past year’s isolation got pushed aside.”

We got to enjoy the beautiful watercolors by James Mao and marvel at succulents that demonstrate the all-too-important resilience we all have inside. Mary Gayle Thomas also shared her affable, personal stories and poems. See more pictures below!

 

Come to the next community event!

Thursday, May 13

9:00 to 1:00

Sunset Wellness Mercantile

37th Ave between Ortega & Pacheco

Drop-in any time during the above hours and say “hello.”

 

We’ll be sharing new exhibits and performances by seniors showing their art, music and stories.

You’ll also find Community Living Campaign’s monthly activity calendar for classes and programs you can enjoy by video or phone. And we’ll have more resources on safety and health for seniors, their families and caregivers.

We’re looking for seniors with talents, hobbies and interests to share!

For more info, to participate, to show off your COVID past-time, your passion, your flair and aptitude — be it musical, artistic or craft — email M. Graf at opoygan1@yahoo.com.

Ensure Equity in Aging – Be Culturally Aware

by

The development of the California Masterplan on Aging is an important step for California.  As part of the development , the California Department of Aging is hosting a series of Webinars toward greater cultural awareness and humility.   Sessions are free and available on regularly, with sessions recorded in case you miss one. Over the next several months, CDA will host an Ensuring Equity in Aging webinar every first Wednesday, from 10-11am. Presentations will cover a range of topics including the value of cultural traditions and harnessing community strengths and assets. They will also detail how historic and systemic discrimination and internal biases harm the wellbeing of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), LGBTQ, disabled older adults, and in different ways, all Californians. Speakers address how we can work together to address the resulting inequities through culturally responsive policy, program, and service planning and delivery.

Upcoming Programs: 

If you missed the first few, you can still join in with these recorded sessions. 

This and other important information is posted on CDA’s Equity in Aging Resource Center.

The Transition from Hospital To Home – San Francisco Must Do Better

by

The transition from hospital to home has always been fraught with peril.   Now has  become even more so in the era of COVID-19.  The limits on caregivers and advocates visiting and supporting a patient in the hospital, the over stretched hospital staff, including social workers and discharge planners, and the significantly reduce options for transitional care are major barriers.   But many of the problems existed before the pandemic.  In fact, a  Transitional Care Blueprint released in San Francisco in 2008 documented the issues and provide a wide range of improvements needed.  A few were implemented and remain, others were implemented and then disappeared when funding was cut.  The rest are still good ideas that could be implemented locally with strong advocacy.   

As more and more of the neighbors we meet through the Community Connector networks and our other programs face increasing illness and disability, this issue has resurfaced as a critical one to address.  One of our earliest neighborhood networks created a team that called itself the “Keep Helen Out of the Hospital” .  A Community Connector enlisted neighbors and health professionals alike to support Helen in this goal.  It included both a good discharge plan but a commitment to prevent re-admissions which are often result from  an unsafe discharge.   CLC is working with the California Alliance for Retired Americans (CARA) to expand its Safe Hospital Discharge workshops and provide thousands of wallet cards about who to call if you or your loved one is not getting a good discharge.   

CLC will be presenting a workshop at the next OWL meeting on your patient rights in a Navigating Hospital and Beyond.  It will be held Saturday, February 27 from 11:00 to 12:00 on Zoom.  Participants will receive a packet of information via the mail from CLC as well as the Hospital Discharge Wallet Card shown here.  In the meantime, if you would like us to mail you this card, send your address to  info@sfcommunityliving.org.  

To connect with CARA for. workshop near you or if your organization would like to sponsor one, contact jreid.cara@gmail.com.  Or download some of the information  that will be available to those who attend these workshops.

 

Post-Election Recap (Virtual)

by

Election got you worried? We’ll be here to help you make sense of local, state, and national election results.

 


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.

Inner Sunset Community Fosters Holiday Connections

by

The Inner Sunset Community Connector Networks gathered on December 23rd to share food, conversation and a lively raffle.  Community Connector Marina Lazzara with her daughter and friends as a back-up crew, help make for a lovely party after the regular Always Active Exercise class.   Special thanks to Judy Goddess and other leaders in this community for make this past year such a success.  This includes local leaders who have offered to provide a 100% match to donations up to $10,000.  You can help by visiting this link and making a donation.  

And enjoy some of the pictures from the party!


[Show slideshow]