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Catholic Charities opens in San Francisco's Mission District

Published

7 years ago

November 20, 2018

Mayor London Breed and Supervisor Hilary Rohen celebrate Catholic Charities grand opening in the Mission District.

Catholic Charities has been active in the Mission district for the past fifty years. But its never had a physical presence in the area until now. The non-profit had the grand opening of its Mission Access Point Center at 18th Street and South Van Ness last week
“This Mission location is the third access point in San Francisco,” said Jilma Meneses, the CEO of Catholic Charities. “We also just opened up a center in the Bay View that is up and running. Our center in the Mission will help people in the area find housing long term.”
The Access Point Center will focus on homeless prevention and immigration services in the Mission area. Services are open to men or women with children under the age of 18. The facility, located next to the St. Charles elementary school, will house the various Catholic Charities case workers and managers who assist the general public. People from all over San Francisco came to the grand opening including Mayor London Breed and Supervisor Hillary Ronen.
“San Francisco is doing what we can to address the issues around homelessness,” said Mayor Breed.
Mayor Breed said that profits like Catholic Chartres, which has a contract with the city to help combat homelessness, are very important in the fight against homelessness.

“We are getting people on the right path,” continued Mayor Breed. “We house fifty people a week, but right after, sixty five people are on the waiting list to take there place.”
Jeff Kositsky, the Director of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing said two navigation centers have recently opened in San Francisco due to a ten million dollar grant from the state of California. There are now four navigation centers in San Francisco, that provide temporary housing to people on the streets.
Catholic Charities, Access Point Centers helps families with housing issues. Sometimes they can stop evictions, by helping to pay back rents, providing security deposits for families or dealing with property managers to set up payment arrangements.
They also help families find various types of housing in various communities from market rate housing, to section eight, to low income housing. While they handle situations in various communities, Mayor Breed says housing is a regional and state issue.
“While we are addressing homelessness in the city, we need regional solutions for housing,” continued Mayor Breed. “We need them not only in San Francisco, but all over the bay area. People need to be housed, especially families.”
In San Francisco it is estimated that they are eight to ten thousand homeless people in the city. While in the past, it was largely a downtown problem, areas like the South of Market, Mission and the Bay View have seen a dramatic increase of homeless people living on the streets, shelters or in cars.
“This is an organization the Mission district trusts, “said District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ron en, who represents the area. “It’s a safe place, where people understand the intersection of services that Catholic Charities provides.”
“Homelessness can’t be solved unless you are providing wrap around services, which include food healthcare, housing and stopping people from being homeless,” added Liza Cardinal Hand, the Communications Manager for Catholic Charities.
“We have to break the cycle of homelessness,” continued Hand. “The Mission Access Center will do this and the Bay View Hunters Point access center is doing this.”

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Remembering George Floyd

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing.

Published

14 hours ago

June 2, 2025

Oakland Post

Mural showing the portrait of George Floyd in Mauerpark in Berlin. To the left of the portrait the lettering "I can't Breathe" was added, on the right side the three hashtags #GeorgeFloyd, #Icantbreathe and #Sayhisname. The mural was completed by Eme Street Art (facebook name) / Eme Free Thinker (signature) on 29 May 2020. (Wikimedia Commons)

By April Ryan
BlackPressUSA Newswire

“The president’s been very clear he has no intentions of pardoning Derek Chauvin, and it’s not a request that we’re looking at,” confirms a senior staffer at the Trump White House. That White House response results from public hope, including from a close Trump ally, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. The timing of Greene’s hopes coincides with the Justice Department’s recent decision to end oversight of local police accused of abuse. It also falls on the fifth anniversary of the police-involved death of George Floyd on May 25th. The death sparked national and worldwide outrage and became a transitional moment politically and culturally, although the outcry for laws on police accountability failed.

The death forced then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to focus on deadly police force and accountability. His efforts while president to pass the George Floyd Justice in policing act failed. The death of George Floyd also put a spotlight on the Black community, forcing then-candidate Biden to choose a Black woman running mate. Kamala Harris ultimately became vice president of the United States alongside Joe Biden. Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison prosecuted the cases against the officers involved in the death of Floyd. He remembers,” Trump was in office when George Floyd was killed, and I would blame Trump for creating a negative environment for police-community relations. Remember, it was him who said when the looting starts, the shooting starts, it was him who got rid of all the consent decrees that were in place by the Obama administration.”

In 2025, Police-involved civilian deaths are up by “about 100 to about 11 hundred,” according to Ellison. Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African-American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing. During those minutes on the ground, Floyd cried out for his late mother several times. Police subdued Floyd for an alleged counterfeit $20 bill.

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Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 30, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 3, 2025

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May 30, 2025

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Black Feminist Movement Mobilizes in Response to National Threats

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — More than 500 Black feminists will convene in New Orleans from June 5 through 7 for what organizers are calling the largest Black feminist gathering in the United States.

Published

3 days ago

May 30, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

More than 500 Black feminists will convene in New Orleans from June 5 through 7 for what organizers are calling the largest Black feminist gathering in the United States. The event, led by the organization Black Feminist Future, is headlined by activist and scholar Angela Y. Davis. Paris Hatcher, executive director of Black Feminist Future, joined Black Press USA’s Let It Be Known to outline the mission and urgency behind the gathering, titled “Get Free.” “This is not just a conference to dress up and have a good time,” Hatcher said. “We’re building power to address the conditions that are putting our lives at risk—whether that’s policing, reproductive injustice, or economic inequality.” Hatcher pointed to issues such as rising evictions among Black families, the rollback of bodily autonomy laws, and the high cost of living as key drivers of the event’s agenda. “Our communities are facing premature death,” she said.

Workshops and plenaries will focus on direct action, policy advocacy, and practical organizing skills. Attendees will participate in training sessions that include how to resist evictions, organize around immigration enforcement, and disrupt systemic policies contributing to poverty and incarceration. “This is about fighting back,” Hatcher said. “We’re not conceding anything.” Hatcher addressed the persistent misconceptions about Black feminism, including the idea that it is a movement against men or families. “Black feminism is not a rejection of men,” she said. “It’s a rejection of patriarchy. Black men must be part of this struggle because patriarchy harms them too.” She also responded to claims that organizing around Black women’s issues weakens broader coalitions. “We don’t live single-issue lives,” Hatcher said. “Our blueprint is one that lifts all Black people.”

The conference will not be streamed virtually, but recaps and updates will be posted daily on Black Feminist Future’s YouTube channel and Instagram account. The event includes performances by Tank and the Bangas and honors longtime activists including Billy Avery, Erica Huggins, and Alexis Pauline Gumbs. When asked how Black feminism helps families, Hatcher said the real threat to family stability is systemic oppression. “If we want to talk about strong Black families, we have to talk about mass incarceration, the income gap, and the systems that tear our families apart,” Hatcher said. “Black feminism gives us the tools to build and sustain healthy families—not just survive but thrive.”