Mid-Market/Tenderloin Community Safety Program Transition
As the Mid-Market Foundation’s contract to manage the Mid-Market/Tenderloin Community Safety Program comes to a close at the end of June, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the accomplishments of the last several years.
We are deeply grateful to our community, our partners at Urban Alchemy, and city officials who have supported this vital work since July 2021.
When the Mid Market Foundation initiated this project, it was a small, privately funded pilot aimed at addressing escalating safety concerns. Then COVID and fentanyl ravaged our neighborhoods. Drug dealing, hundreds of tent encampments, and no positive activity defined our streets. The Mid-Market Foundation brought Urban Alchemy on board as our key partner to implement our vision for community-based safety.
The Foundation's innovative approach combined safety with cultural programming to transform the neighborhood. Block by block, we saw streets calm and new life emerge. This model created the foundation for remarkable transformation. Together, we have:
Reversed more than 400 overdoses and connected people to life-saving services
Built meaningful community connections between businesses, residents of all backgrounds, and other stakeholders
Provided employment opportunities to hundreds of practitioners with extreme barriers to employment, many of whom we watched rise through the organization or move on to other leadership roles
Launched Market Street Arts programming that flourished alongside our safety efforts, from UNSTAGED to Busk It, creating vibrant street activation
Attracted new business investment - more businesses have opened than closed in Mid-Market over the past year
Today, there is still significant work ahead, but there is hope, optimism, and real change. The combination of community-based safety with cultural programming has proven that building community and creating opportunities for ownership and self-expression transforms neighborhoods. Lives have been changed, almost all for the good.
What does the future hold?
While Mid-Market Foundation will no longer manage the program, the city is working to maintain services and evolve the program to meet the area's needs. We strongly support its continuation, with expanded transformational spaces like the Oasis and extended hours to support nighttime activity.
Mayor Lurie's administration is working to ensure there is no gap in coverage come July.
Thank you for your partnership in this critical work.
