St. Anthony Foundation with Livable City Kicks Off the Summer Season with Sunday Streets Tenderloin on June 23

PRESS RELEASE

Media Contact:
Sally Haims | Chief Marketing and Communications Officer
(415) 254-5884 | SHaims@stanthonysf.org

Festive block party will feature activities for children, live music, food, and giveaways

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (June 3, 2024) – In partnership with Livable City, St. Anthony Foundation will co-host the Sunday Streets Tenderloin block party event on Sunday, June 23 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. covering the 100 and 200 blocks of Golden Gate Avenue, between Hyde Street and Jones Street. Each year starting from June through October, Sunday Streets block parties occur in different neighborhoods throughout San Francisco. This year, the Sunday Streets Tenderloin is the first block party in the series of events in 2024.

For nearly 75 years, St. Anthony Foundation has provided pathways to stability for thousands of San Franciscans in need. As a beacon of hope in the Tenderloin, St. Anthony’s offers low-barrier, integrated services, uplifting thousands of people experiencing addiction, homelessness, or poverty annually. St. Anthony’s provides one of the broadest portfolios of social services – from the Dining Room, which has served more than 47 million meals since 1950, and Free Clothing Program to the Medical Clinic and Technology Computer Lab – nearly all under one roof.

St. Anthony’s Medical Clinic will also be welcoming people on Golden Gate. Guests will be able to learn about the Clinic’s services and sign up for appointments. For guests without health insurance or who need to renew their coverage, St. Anthony’s also offers in-person support to get the coverage you need.

“Sunday Streets is a joyous demonstration of the full potential of the Golden Gate Greenway initiative,” said Larry Kwan, MD, CEO of St. Anthony Foundation. “At last year’s event, I witnessed children playing outside, seniors enjoying the music and live performances on the stage, and families soaking it all in, all within a welcoming, safe environment in the heart of the Tenderloin. Home to more than 3,000 children, the Tenderloin is one of the most diverse and densely populated communities in the city yet lacks the open green space of other neighborhoods. The Golden Gate Greenway fosters positive connections, creating a stronger community and a more vibrant San Francisco.”

ACTIVITIES FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY INCLUDE:

Dunk tank
Food trucks
Live music from multiple local bands on an elevated stage, drum circle
Interactive fun for children – face painting, chalk, bubbles, youth lounge, and more
Photo booth
Sports – basketball, soccer
Circus performers from Circus Center, stilt walkers, aerial performances
Plant-potting and greening of the block
Community information booths from nonprofits, including details about the Golden Gate Greenway project and the Tenderloin Community Action Plan
Contests, giveaways (including kids book giveaway), and prizes

WHAT: Similar to last year’s event, Sunday Streets Tenderloin will be held on the Golden Gate Greenway, the 100 block of Golden Gate Avenue, and the 200 block that will be filled with fun, family-friendly activities, live music, food, and giveaways. Led by St. Anthony’s and a coalition of partner organizations, the Golden Gate Greenway is a neighborhood initiative with the goal to create a permanent slow-street style closure on the 100 block of Golden Gate Avenue and transform it into a safe, open green space with events and activities for the Tenderloin community.

To date, a new parklet will be unveiled on the block on June 30. The parklet will feature vibrant plant life and dignified seating for residents of Mercy Housing and all guests of the street. The installation was voted upon by residents of the Tenderloin, designed by Miller Studios and funded by the city through the Tenderloin Community Action plan in partnership with United Way Bay Area.

Sunday Streets SF is a program of the nonprofit Livable City, presented in partnership with SFMTA, San Francisco Department of Public Health, and the City and County of San Francisco. Since 2008, Sunday Streets SF has transformed miles of streets into car-free community spaces for kids to play, seniors to stroll, businesses and organizations to connect, and neighbors to meet during a season of events that serve over 100,000 San Franciscans annually.

WHO: This year’s expected attendees include: Larry Kwan, MD, CEO of St. Anthony Foundation; team members from St. Anthony Foundation; community leaders from several Tenderloin non-profit organizations; San Francisco civic leaders (last year’s attendees included Supervisor Dean Preston, City Attorney David Chiu, SFMTA Director of Transportation Jeffrey Tumlin, as well as state leaders, Senator Scott Wiener and Assembly member Matt Haney); other notable dignitaries.

WHEN: Sunday, June 23, 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

WHERE: Golden Gate Greenway (the 100 block) and the 200 block of Golden Gate Avenue in the Tenderloin neighborhood, San Francisco, CA 94102

WHY: The mission of Sunday Streets is to create temporary open space and recreational opportunities in neighborhoods most lacking, encourage physical activity, foster community building, and inspire people to think about their streets as public spaces, which coincides with the vision of the Golden Gate Greenway initiative.

St. Anthony’s mission is to feed, heal, shelter, clothe, lift the spirits of people experiencing homelessness and poverty in San Francisco, and create a society in which all persons flourish. St. Anthony’s offers essential, life-changing services serving each individual’s needs with the goal of whole-person, integrated care.

MEDIA CONTACT: Sally Haims, 415-254-5884

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Learn more about the Sunday Streets Tenderloin event on the Livable City website at SundayStreetsSF.com/Tenderloin.

Photo Ops & Interviews: Photo and interview opportunities are available and can be scheduled prior to or on the day of the event.

Larry Kwan, MD, CEO, St. Anthony Foundation
Community leaders from various Tenderloin non-profit organizations
State and civic leaders are expected to attend

Thank you to the participating organizations – last year’s participating organizations include: Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center (APICC), the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation (TNDC), Glide Memorial Church, Circus Center, Tenderloin Community Benefit District (TCBD), San Francisco Public Library, Tenderloin Museum, Street Soccer USA, De Marillac Academy, Wu Yee Children’s Services, 826 Valencia, Code Tenderloin, Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT), Chinatown Community Development Center (Chinatown CDC), San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department, Friends of the Urban Forest, and San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), among several others.

Our Vision for the Golden Gate Greenway

Home to 30,000 residents, including an estimated 3,500 children, the Tenderloin is one of the most diverse, culturally rich neighborhoods in San Francisco. It is also one of the densest, with heavy traffic congestion and little in the way of green, open space. We want to change that.

The pandemic forced social service organizations like St. Anthony’s to move operations out onto the street. We were able to do so with a temporary block closure on Golden Gate Avenue, between Leavenworth and Jones. Turning crisis into opportunity, we’ve used the space to serve the community even more effectively than before, hosting neighborhood events such as outdoor voter registration, Covid-19 pop-up testing, and Play Streets for children.

Our time outside has also allowed us to imagine what the block could be with a permanent street closure: a green oasis in the heart of the Tenderloin that would benefit the community physically, mentally, and spiritually. Send a letter of support for the Golden Gate Greenway to the Mayor here.

St. Anthony’s is spearheading this community project with a coalition of neighboring organizations. The project has received $2M in federal and state funding for Phase 2 street redesigns, including construction of a playground, to commence in Summer 2025. Neighbors on the block are looking forward to the unveiling of a new parklet on June 30th. The parklet will feature vibrant plant life and dignified seating for residents of Mercy Housing and all guests of the street. The installation was voted upon by residents of the Tenderloin, designed by Miller Studios and funded by the city through the Tenderloin Community Action plan in partnership with United Way Bay Area.

About St. Anthony Foundation

Located in the heart of the Tenderloin, St. Anthony Foundation is one of the largest, primarily privately funded social service providers in San Francisco and a place of great love. We offer safety net, health care, and employment services informed by evidence-based best practices for people experiencing homelessness, poverty, or addiction. Our goal is to build trust over time with individuals and to give each person the tools and opportunity to sustainably exit homelessness. We offer a welcoming healing community, a pathway to stability, and a model for broader change.

About Sunday Streets

Sunday Streets is a program of the nonprofit Livable City, presented in partnership with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, the San Francisco Department of Public Health, and the Shape Up SF Coalition. Additional City support comes from San Francisco Public Works, Department of Recreation and Parks, Police Department, SF County Transportation Authority, San Francisco Mayor London Breed and her offices, and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

About Livable City

Livable City works to create a San Francisco of great streets and complete neighborhoods, where walking, bicycling, and transit are the best choices for most trips, where public spaces are beautiful, well-designed, and well-maintained, and where housing is more plentiful and more affordable. For more information about Livable City, visit LivableCity.org.

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