In the midst of a pandemic, Hastings College of the Law, along with four individual Plaintiffs and the Tenderloin Merchants and Property Association, filed a lawsuit against the City of San Francisco seeking to remove unhoused residents from the Tenderloin neighborhood. Hospitality House, Coalition on Homelessness, and Faithful Fools, along with twenty-five other homeless advocacy groups, urged the law school to pledge that it would protect the constitutional and human rights of unhoused Tenderloin residents during this lawsuit.  The law school refused.   

On June 9, Hospitality House, Coalition on Homelessness, and Faithful Fools filed a motion for intervention to request to become a party to Hastings College of the Law et al v. City and County of San Francisco.  Each non-profit organization provides services to people experiencing homelessness in the Tenderloin. They seek to ensure that the interests of unhoused Tenderloin residents, whose lives and property will be directly affected by the outcome of the litigation, are represented in the litigation.

Case Name: Price vs. City of San Diego

Court and Case Number: 4:20-cv-3033-JST, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California

Plaintiffs:

All three Tenderloin nonprofit organizations, Plaintiff-Intervenors, represent chronically homeless individuals - individuals experiencing homelessness and have a physical or mental disability.

Hospitality House: Founded in the Tenderloin in 1967, Hospitality House operated as a simple drop-in space run by community volunteers and offering homeless youth refuge, safety, and community.  A part of its program, the Tenderloin Self-Help Center offers therapy and counseling for people with mental health and substance use disorders.  More than 10,000 people – housed and unhoused – utilize the self-help’s services each year.  The organization’s Sixth Street Self-Help Center helps over 6,000 people in accessing its peer-based support groups, which provides stability and connects individuals with disabilities to the community.

Coalition on Homelessness: Founded over 30 years ago, it was formed by persons experiencing homelessness, who were excluded from crafting solutions for homelessness, at the city level.  Since it’s inception, the organization’s work has been led by and centered on experiences of the unhoused community.  In 2018, the organization was able to successfully secure 75 long-term housing subsidies for seniors and people with disabilities.    

Faithful Fools: Faithful Fools is a nonprofit organization that fosters awareness and analysis of deteriorating social conditions in the United States and the world at large.  The organization runs a program for Tenderloin residents, including a weekly interfaith Bible study session, movie nights, working groups, streets retreats, and writing workshops.  The organization provides direct services to homeless individuals by work alongside them to navigate the complex housing system as the individuals seek to exit homelessness.  Faithful Fools is committed to addressing racism and the fundamental human rights of the people in the Tenderloin neighborhood.  The denial of homeless individuals with disabilities access to the City’s homelessness programs have frustrated the organization’s mission.

Significant Court Documents

Compliant (pdf)
Declaration of Jennifer Friedenbach (pdf)
Declaration of Joe Wilson (pdf)
Declaration of Sam Dennison (pdf)
Ex. A to Freidenbach Declaration (pdf)
Motion of Intervention (pdf)

Press Release

View Press Release (pdf)