Ive had 20 years of homelessness off and on, and this has given me great purpose.. Urban Alchemys turnover rate from April 2021 to April 2022 was 32.6% higher than the 14% rate in a nonprofit survey conducted by Nonprofit HR, a national human resources firm, in 2020. In addition to CIRCLE, Urban Alchemy runs the city's mobile shower and restroom program, has "clean teams" working on streets with encampments, and operates several interim housing facilities. ADVERTISING Advertise Legal Notices Obituaries Writing An Obituary Submit an Obituary, COMPANY INFO Job Opportunities Privacy PolicyTerms of Service, What to Include in Your Marin County Obituary, Nikki Silverstein is an award-winning journalist who has written for the Pacific Sun since 2005. Bayron Wilson, Urban Alchemys director of operations, says the Sausalito allegations were false, and that the organization did a successful job helping the campers, who had just been kicked out of floating homes anchored in Richardson Bay. Los Angeles is seeking answers to the homeless crisis. He put his face within a foot of one of the 16 new hires. The organization has created 24 safe and clean public toilets in Tenderloin and other parts of San Francisco with high homeless populations and given homeless individuals jobs cleaning and maintaining those toilets, BART stations, the Civic Center area, downtown streets, and parks. Urban Alchemy's 2022 budget shows the nonprofit receiving more than $43 million in total contract and grant revenue from the cityup from just under $36,000 in total revenue during 2018, the year it was founded. Through emails, Clinebell detailed Urban Alchemys policies about employee drug use on the job and sex with campers. 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And this is not easy., According to a report by the City Administrative Officer, the cost of the new East Hollywood campground runs approximately $2,663 per person per month. A fucking turd., Matt Smith can be reached at [emailprotected]. So doing nothing also costs a lot of money.. Very charismatic. If the conduct is egregious, which has happened, she said, the person is fired. He then clocked out, came back into the camp, and hung out., However, Mike was later moved to another Urban Alchemy location after being caught on cell phone video calling a woman at the Sausalito encampment a bitch and a whore.. We can give them the structure.. Before that, she freelanced with a focus on the Yemeni diaspora while studying at the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. Dillon said nobody else had achieved what Miller had in Bayview and Hunters Point. All Rights Reserved. And outsourcing government functions to nonprofits can make it more difficult for the public to evaluate whether spending is achieving results. Portraying difficult subjects in art can be juicy and colorful, Culver City eliminates honors English in attempt to reach racial equity, LAs Black students see fewer cops, more resources 2 years into achievement plan. But the groups rapid growth has brought challenges. The number 18 on Joshs left arm refers to Adolph Hitler, with the 1 corresponding to the A and the 8 corresponding to the H. It appears that his left leg has a tattoo of the Iron Cross, which was a symbol used by the Nazis, according to the ADL. I heard it happening. Los Angeles is seeking answers to the homeless crisis. One person claims they had to resort to sex work after the city allegedly destroyed their encampment. Security is something totally different. These guys were able to come out and talk to young guys and explain to them that they want to do something different, Milton said, adding that it can be inspiring when I see these guys in uniform, just guys out there working., In Los Angeles, Urban Alchemy was hired to provide services to homeless encampments. Steveo would drop off drugs to a woman at the camp and ask campers to find him drugs, Phil Deschamps, a current encampment resident, said. Urban Alchemy is a peaceful and supportive presence, inviting communities to rebuild and restore a sense of pride . My lane is this part. Plan to fight education inequity in LA: Whats it achieved in 2 years? Not even base metal. In order to combat the housing issue, the city council has committed to at least 140 new units of permanent support housing in all 9 council districts to be built over two years. Nobody else fucking wanted to do that, Miller said. The employee responded that the situation would resolve itself, but the man was still arguing with people when Gilmore left the scene shortly afterward, she said. Training consists of two days in class, followed by a week in the field. The agreement calls for Urban Alchemy to provide positive engagements with the campers, de-escalation interventions and custodial services. Michael Clinebell, senior director of strategic initiatives at AMF Media Group, a public relations and crisis communications firm, is the spokesperson for Urban Alchemy. Were able to do this because we share a special bond with societys most vulnerable and because we see ourselves in their struggle. Employees get paid starting at $21 an hour and benefits, according to Urban Alchemys latest city contract. Some have brooms and plastic trash bags. Mayor London Breed, along with many residents, businesses and community leaders in the Tenderloin and Mid-Market neighborhoods, praise Urban Alchemy for making streets cleaner and safer. The idea of providing designated areas for unhoused people to camp, with bathrooms and access to social services, isnt new. A turd. Within seconds, he blocked all further communication. Community Engagement and Outreach: calming neighborhoods and public spaces by forming bonds with residents, promoting positive behavior, and connecting people to services; this work includes placing outreach workers and community engagement specialists in neighborhoods as . UA has a no drugs or alcohol policy while at work, and that includes a prohibition on showing up to work under the influence of those substances, Clinebell wrote. So far, cities are willing to take the risks. Urban Alchemy Practitioners have been turning the San Francisco Clean program since 2015. I mean, Ive been to prison, but you cant even make up the stories of what we see.. Hammonds sweeps up trash along Golden Gate Avenue in the Tenderloin. envisions eventually helming a nationwide homelessness organization, permanent, unbridgeable emotional distance, role in the line of fire as private patrols paid with city funds. Each response includes a licensed mental health worker. San Francisco's problem with homelessness started to emerge in the 1970s and 1980s. Were stunned with the insensitivity of calling our workforce mercenary, especially since our practitioners are primarily Black, Latino and formerly incarcerated or homeless, Miller said. Sidewalks once crowded with people doing or selling drugs are now more passable, these people say. Mallory Moench (she/her) and Kevin Fagan (he/him) are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. "We have to have housing. Send news tips to. For Urban Alchemys Executive Director Lena Miller, the organizations rapid San Francisco expansion is just the beginning. I was in a vulnerable situation, she said. She listed examples as violence, discrimination and disrespect to women. Homeless Population: 8,124. Employees dont always succeed in deterring violence. The organization also reported reversing 123 drug overdoses using Narcan nasal spray. Ive had 20 years of homelessness off and on, and this has given me great purpose., David Harding, a professor of sociology at UC Berkeley, said he hasnt heard of another organization as large as Urban Alchemy thats not just willing to hire people with criminal records but actively seeks out those folks as employees.. Fresh off tens of millions in local contracts, the Urban Alchemy founder now has her sights set nationwide. We found a turd and turned it into gold. The three organizations are the inaugural members of the Austin Street Outreach Collaborative. Urban Alchemy asserts that spending 20+ years in a confined environment teaches instincts that cant be learned in a classroom, making their practitioners uniquely qualified to work with homeless people. The idea is that while police are trained to respond to active threats, life has trained CIRCLE team members. At times, tension has escalated between Urban Alchemy employees and the people theyre tasked with helping. Heres what we know. One of the worlds richest regions has some of its starkest divides, with its top 10% of households holding two-thirds of its wealth. Not lead. The organization holds $62 million in contracts in San Francisco while also providing homeless services in a half-dozen cities. The safe sleeping sites were opened after UC Hastings sued the city for deteriorating street conditions at the onset of the pandemic. Some residents ask whether the workers can be effective in the most volatile situations without putting themselves in danger. Hassan Halfin, an Urban Alchemy supervisor who served 30 years in prison, said, I was amazed at how people were just lost in drugs, hustling, just walking around looking crazy. While it hires people convicted of violent crimes, it doesnt employ registered sex offenders or people convicted of sexual assault. Today, it's a $50 million agency with 1,200 employees . LOS. And lets be honest, Galperin said, when people are on our sidewalks, that is already costing us money as a city in terms of public safety, police and fire emergency services, paramedic, sanitation, street services, hospitals, jails. To achieve this, Elliott encouraged landscape architects to continue to design for everyone, not specific populations. Miller pointed to their high levels of emotional intelligence, their ability to read people, and their ability to interact with different kinds of people. The nonprofits unusual slogan is No fuckery., What were trying to do, co-founder and CEO Lena Miller said in an interview, is just make spaces safe and clean and raise the vibration, so to speak, in areas that in the past have been dirty and scary, particularly for people who are vulnerable.. Miller says salaries start around $19 an hour, and I fight really hard to try to give good wages to my people.. Urban Alchemy started back in 2018. Statistics only tell half the story. On Joshs right leg, an 88 tattoo is clearly visible, which stands for Heil Hitler, according to the Anti-Defamation League, as H is the eighth letter of the alphabet. The CAOs report did not contain a detailed breakdown of costs, but according to city officials most of the budget goes to 24/7 staffing, and maintaining a one to 12 staff to client ratio at all times. Im going to fuck you up, Josh can be heard shouting in the first second of the video. that person was later asked by a UA director for details on the remark, and no details were provided, Clinebell wrote. We're a social enterprise that engages with situations where extreme poverty meets homelessness, mental illness and addiction. It offers emergency shelter, basic services and connections to housing for 130 men. The program offers people who have been out of work for a few years a platform to build their resume and eventually re-enter the workforce. I believe it provides a good service for the community, said one, who only gave his first name, Eugene. One organization the city is working with, Urban Alchemy, was founded to provide career opportunities for the formerly incarcerated. Until now. Each call handled by CIRCLE, is a call LAPD doesn't need to answer, freeing officers up for other calls. The organization conducted a review of its policies in response to the incident, Tyler said. Urban Alchemy made their first contact with Sausalitos homeless residents on Feb. 13, 2021, about two months after the first tent was pitched, according to Robbie Powelson, a former Sausalito camper and president of the Marin Homeless Union. He has ridden with the rails with modern-day hobos, witnessed seven prison executions, written extensively about serial killers including the Unabomber, Doodler and Zodiac, and covered disasters ranging from the Sept. 11 terror attacks at Ground Zero to California's devastating wildfires. Yeah my name is David and I have a similar issues the staff in Los Angeles that work in the urban alchemy 3rd Street 2301 West 3rd Street Los Angeles California accuse me of first breaking in the property which I lived on then excuse me of hateful words and they said I was using the n word and I was training staff I dont think I would ever do any of those things they just were caught sleeping and slang word for messing up I guess cuz one was asleep and the other one wasnt at the front gate and I let myself in and they changed it all around lie after lie. Miller started Urban Alchemy in 2018. Downtown Streets Team employs local homeless populations to clean community spaces in San Jose and San Francisco. Hammonds helps a woman in distress out of the middle of Market Street. Some of Urban Alchemys workers have been surprised at the depth of the crisis they are facing in the Tenderloin. Founded in 2018, Urban Alchemy is based in San Francisco, CA, and claims to be a workforce development agency that hires former convicts and also aims to rebuild urban areas by supporting those struggling with homelessness, addiction, and mental illness. Josh, too, is no longer working in Sausalito. The group sells its service as partly spiritual, with a goal of transforming the energy of traumatized urban spaces. Employees are known inside the organization as practitioners. All Rights Reserved. If you can paint lines on a sidewalk for the same cost that you can give someone the rent for an apartment, said Myers of the Legal Aid Foundation, I'm concerned that our city is making the choice to paint the lines rather than actually get people into housing.. The site also provides showers, three meals a day and 24-hour security. Shes just mad because I wont let her suck my dick, Josh said to the police, according to two campers. Hammonds said employees dont stop peoples addictions and dont force people on sidewalks to move although people usually do when asked. Several co-located agencies offer case management, job placement services, legal . The four-bedroom residence serves as . Some unhoused people and their advocates, including Tracey Mixon, a formerly homeless Tenderloin resident who works with the Coalition on Homelessness, complain that some employees have gotten verbally or physically aggressive to make people move or stop problematic behavior. 636 Eye Street, NW Miller noted how the work provides not only an income but also a sense of pride, remarking on an anecdote where one employee called the Governor of California into a bathroom stall he had just cleaned to show him how clean it was. All of these skills help them to establish and maintain social norms in the public places they work. They dont have name tags on, and some were pretty confrontational. And, its always a firing offense., Theres no such thing as consent here, Clinebell wrote. David Sjostedt can be reached at [emailprotected]. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) The Clean. Criticisms of Urban Alchemy run the gamut, from being a mercenary organization to inadequate staff training. Our agenda is humane treatment for people, and at Echo Park it meant offering them shelter as a safe place to go, which they took voluntarily simply by it being offered., Marco Tavanti, an expert on nonprofits at the University of San Francisco, said the five lawsuits against Urban Alchemy represented an elevated number compared to other nonprofits, except for some in the health sector. He just gave it to me. COVID mightve come from a lab leak. A comprehensive rundown "For months, Councilmember O'Farrell's office worked with a non-profit outreach partner, Urban Alchemy, as well as the Los Angeles Homelessness Services Authority (LAHSA) to place more than 180 unhoused individuals (as you noted) who had formerly been living at Echo Park Lake into transitional housing." Copyright 2021 Capital & Main He handed me a rolled up 20-dollar bill with crushed up crystal meth. Urban Alchemy has been an invaluable partner in keeping our city safe, clean, and welcoming for all. The police are brought in to offer deescalation training, helping to establish a relationship between law enforcement and employees of Urban Alchemy. Supportive housing for Individuals and families. Drugs arent Cooks only problem, according to the campers who have made other serious allegations against the employee. After the Pacific Sun revealed the names of Urban Alchemy staff who the campers allege participated in drug use and sexual predation, Clinebell responded with an email to two of the papers editors. But another councilmember who plans to open safe camping sites, Joe Buscaino, says enforcement is part of the point. The police eventually arrived at the camp in response to the verbal altercation, although its not clear who called them. A UA employee fucked [a female camper] in the tent next to the tent Im in, Deschamps said. They offered similar services in San Francisco since 2018. The CIRCLE dispatch center can respond to 911 calls to LAPD that aren't criminal in nature. Urban Alchemys contract to run the Sausalito site expires at the end of June. sues owner of Tenderloin boba cafe linked to alleged theft operation for horror story health code, housing violations, Mayor London Breed vows to fight for more police officers in upcoming San Francisco budget talks, Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). The woman who spent time in the bushes with Josh had witnessed the incident and explained to the police what had occurred. Youre using force, he said. The ARCH is a City-owned facility providing shelter and resources in downtown Austin, managed by Urban Alchemy and Austin Area Urban League. If you are in need of emergency shelter, please contact the Union County 24 Hour Homeless Emergency Response Hotline at 2-1-1. All Rights Reserved. Urban Alchemy said it settled a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment by a co-worker and was working to settle two suits accusing the organization of not accurately calculating and paying for overtime and breaks. I know just about everyone in the city, she said. On a recent morning, a couple of days before the parking lot in East Hollywood opened to its first campers, a few unhoused men stood on the sidewalk outside its mesh-covered fence. Urban Alchemy notified the city on May 9 that they wouldnt be entering a new agreement, according to Urban Alchemys media representative. Was the conspiracy theory label used too early? Urban Alchemy, a workforce development agency, trains and employs former long-term offenders. Josh treated me like trash. The organization later urged employees to call police instead of engaging with dealers. We teach that in our training.. Most of our team have served life sentences in prison. Many team members spent time in prison and surviving that was possible, in part, because of an ability to deescalate a situation. The Lee County Homeless Coalition reports 394 people were homeless on the night of Jan. 26, 2021 when volunteers fanned the community to conduct the annual "point in time" surveys, according . 0. The operator of the site, the nonprofit Urban Alchemy, has since moved on to open a homeless shelter in Lower Nob Hill and was recently granted a contract by the city to perform homeless outreach. Every day Urban Alchemys workers are out on the streets providing essential services and support for so many in our city, and we appreciate their continued partnership in bringing out the best of San Francisco. The plan looked at three short-term goals to be achieved in three years: end youth homelessness; end veterans homelessness; and decrease unsheltered homelessness by 50 percent. Organizers believe those successes are possible because many were once homeless themselves and use that experience to make connections. Since 2018, Urban Alchemy has grown to 1,100 employees in five cities, with projected revenue of $55 million for the fiscal year ending June 30, records show. Helping with that transformational experience takes extensive preparation, said Lola Whittle, president of the Urban Alchemy board of directors. Homelessness remains a core focus of his, close to his heart as a journalist who cares passionately about the human condition. After being hired to guard and provide other services to homeless encampments in the Los Angeles Skid Row neighborhood, workers became associated in the citys progressive media with a decision to evict homeless people from a downtown park. Because a city this offbeat deserves a newsletter with some In one case, Urban Alchemy found misconduct an employee called a homeless advocate a whore but the organization and police did not find evidence of assault in the other cases. In our experience, cleaning is one of the . We can help them recruit. We dont have a badge. Urban Alchemy has been a controversial choice for the program. There was a lot more anonymity and a lot more opportunity for exploitation. Email: mallory.moench@sfchronicle.com, kfagan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @mallorymoench, @kevinchron. LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Los Angeles is seeking answers to the homeless crisis. We dont have weapons, mace. Some advocates are concerned, however, that even with a $1 billion homelessness spending plan proposed for this coming fiscal year, the city is investing too much in short-term band aids over long-term solutions. And then well be out of the way of all the looky-looers too, he said. I really liked him, the woman, who requested anonymity due to privacy concerns, said. In one altercation, Arthur Bruce, who is homeless and lives near the encampment, accused an employee of hitting him during an argument and sending him to the hospital with an injured wrist, an account backed by two friends who said they witnessed the encounter. Wilson says Urban Alchemy workers dont fit the definition of patrol officer or security guard, and therein lies their advantage. . S.F. It turned dark.. Once the city increased the contract, we got all these new Urban Alchemy people coming and going, Powelson said. Prison is characterized in stacks of psychological research papers as a mental illness incubator where violence, deprivation and nihilism distort social skills and undermine inmates social compasses, sometimes resulting in a PTSD-like disorder called post-incarceration syndrome. Additionally, UA has a policy that requires practitioners to maintain workplace boundaries, and that includes no fraternization, such as not hanging out at the work site while not on duty., Clinebell said that Urban Alchemy hasnt received any reports of staff using drugs at the Sausalito camp, yet he concedes someone has a memory of a person reporting at a Sausalito City Council meeting that Urban Alchemy staff were smoking weed.. I can attest to the fact the meth was real., Kennedy said he knows two Urban Alchemy practitioners who brought meth into the camp, although neither works at the Sausalito location any longer. Transitional Housing. But Millers core philosophythat long stints in prison can equip a person for handling crises in the streetsis a selling point that seems to run counter to mainstream psychology. Employees called 911 nearly 300 times during the same time period. People coming out of prison, Harding said, are motivated to succeed and often equipped to help others with similar experiences. You have entered an incorrect email address! In San Francisco, a shooting early last year highlighted workers role in the line of fire as private patrols paid with city funds. The workers most of them rebuilding their own lives after being incarcerated might ask people to move tents off sidewalks so children can walk to school, pick up syringes or rush in to reverse one of the citys frequent drug overdoses. We have to have wrap around services but we also have to have a compassionate informed connected engagement mechanism and I believe that the work of CIRCLE is a part of that mechanism," explains Tyler. Plans for continuing education such as computer and financial literacy are also in the works, the organization said. Basically like a franchise model, Miller said in a radio interview last year. Ill say, Have a good day, sir, the trainee responded. Councilmember Ward is the chair of the Regional Task Force on the Homeless, an integrated array of stakeholders committed to preventing and alleviating homelessness., Dispelling myths about who the homeless was paramount to all three speakers, but Elliott highlighted that in San Diego, the cause is primarily economic. Campers get entered into the countys database for matching unhoused people with social services, called the coordinated entry system. Curating the best of The Standards top-notch reporting, every Saturday. Cities have hired Urban Alchemy because they see unique potential in its strategy, simultaneously employing people who typically struggle to get hired while reducing the role of armed officers amid a movement for police reform. Traumatized people do a better job of understanding other traumatized people, she and her staffers say. Wayne Shorters all seeing eye: A tribute and final conversation with the jazz pioneer, Adam Scott, Lee Edward Colston II, and Sandy King Carpenter on The Treat, Wintering and enchantment: A pathway to healing and happiness, Born of persecution, Parsi cooking melds Persian and Indian cuisines. When we became aware of this situation, we quickly identified the resident and helped connect her with emergency medical care. Breeds homeless services department awarded eight of 12 no-bid contracts to the organization to quickly set up homeless shelters. In February, Miller said, a drug dealer shot an Urban Alchemy worker who had told the dealer to stop selling outside a city-run tent encampment.
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