Assistance from the community

Over the years, activists in San Francisco have improved the situation for young people compared to Dewes’ era with an increase in youth programs. 

“Actual youth services in San Francisco only used to be Larkin Street. They had a 12-bed shelter on Eddie street– that was all they had. Over the past 15 years, it’s built up to where it is now,” Dewes said. 

Another service in San Francisco actively working to help homeless youth is the Huckleberry House, a transitional home. 

Established during the Summer of Love in 1967, Huckleberry House was one of the first runaway youth shelters in the nation. Hidden under the dazzling hippie migration was a large influx of homeless youth. 

“With many people coming to San Francisco to find enlightenment, many youths found themselves homeless and on the street. Many were leaving challenging situations just to find themselves in even greater troubling situations,” Styles said. “A group of community members got together and formed Huckleberry House.” 

The Huckleberry House intends to help the youth in the community and acknowledges that the typical prejudices against young people living with homelessness are products of their environments. 

“We operate on the basis that young people aren’t the problem– they’re not bad or criminals,” Styles said. “They’re struggling– and they’re struggling because some family or school systems failed them.”

While being a transitional home for minors and housing about 200-300 people a year, Huckleberry also provides programs that work to aid the root of the issues, such as strengthening family relations, counseling, and more. 

When looking for help in San Francisco, young people can also turn to 3rd Street Youth, an access point for young people to get essential resources. They work with 18 through 27-year-olds and provide services such as setting clients up for success when applying for housing or giving opportunities for education and employment. 

There are different reasons why individuals hear about these shelters; the city of San Francisco recognizes Huckleberry and 3rd Street as licensed facilities, according to both Dewes and Styles. However, there’s no need for publicity because the greatest advertisers are through word of mouth from people they’ve aided. 

“Not a month goes by where I don’t bump into somebody in the community as I’m wearing a t-shirt or Huckleberry hat at some event, and somebody comes up to me and says, ‘hey, I was at Huckleberry House, and it really changed my life,'” Styles said. “We steer people towards a positive path through many challenges, and that’s the impact that Huckleberry has had on the community.”

Dewes and Styles can affirm the gratification of knowing their work drives others in the correct direction. 

“‘I’ve watched youth come in, and they were living at the Candlestick point, and now they’re living in Vallejo; they’re paying their rent in full and doing really well,” Dewes said. “To me, that is, like, my favorite part of working here is watching people exit the programs and being 100% successful.” 

The issue will still loom over society as long as the same systems are integrated within the culture, but the least people can do is act with kindness when they see someone in trouble. 

“If someone needs help, the best thing to do is refer them to an access point and provide information,” Dewes said. “Oh, but the best thing they probably need is socks; anyone on the street always needs socks.”