Homes Not Jails, an all volunteer organization dedicated to using direct action to provide housing for the homeless, held its first skills workshop, Jan. 14, at 2490 16th St. The workshop discussed homelessness and housing in the Bay Area, security culture and squatting.
Michael Steinberg, a local activist who has worked with Homes Not Jails since its creation in 1992, began the workshop by giving a history on the agency and its response to homelessness in the Bay Area.
In 1990, the census showed that there were 10,000 vacant units in San Francisco that were not for sale or for rent. Steinberg says the homeless population at the time was about the same, and for him and many other activists, it was a sign that it was time for them to take action.
Homes Not Jails was officially formed in November of 1992, in response to what Steinberg called “12 years of Republicans and high social tensions in the Bay Area.”
The organization began by using conventional protest methods to advocate against anti-homeless ballot initiatives, but quickly adopted the tactic of publicly squatting in a property to draw attention to housing injustice, which they first did on Thanksgiving Day, 1992.
“The building was owned by a big slumlord but was unused,” said Steinberg, echoing the basic belief of the organization that all unused properties in the city should be converted to low-income housing.
The group has since continued to take direct action to reduce homelessness and, according to a figure printed in “The Progressive,” has made good use of more than 100 abandoned buildings.
“Meetings have grown and there has been a wide range of interests,” said Gina, a Homes Not Jails participant who declined to provide her last name, citing legal concerns.
Gina said that the primary goals of the group and the workshop were safety, caution and the understanding of the potential consequences of squatting.
Steinberg added that Homes Not Jails uses direct action, non-violence and makes all decisions collectively.
Individuals interested in participating should attend the general meetings at 558 Capp St. on Monday afternoons at 4:30.