Along the corridor of Balmy Alley and 24th Streets sits a park that reflects the many personalities of the Mission community—it’s a place where families meet, children play and that more than a dozen homeless men call home.
Pamela del Rio, a Mission resident, started walking her dogs regularly at Garfield Park; she has gotten to know some of the homeless men who stay there.
Del Rio said she has tried to find resources that help the men off the streets, but some don’t want the help. “If they are illegal, they can’t qualify for any of the programs,” she said.
Michel, a homeless man who preferred not to reveal his real name, said that his adopted family includes one of del Rios four pugs, a dog named “Pepe”; or “El Famoso Pepe,” as the men at the park like to call him.
In San Francisco, roughly 7,350 people are homeless and more than 50 percent of them live without access to shelters, according to a 2013 SFGov homeless count report.
Many of them choose to find friendship and companionship with pets. “You can see that these men have probably had a dog at some point in the past,” del Rio said.
Last year, a program called Wonderful Opportunities for Occupants and Fidos (WOOF) was adopted by San Francisco Animal Care & Control (SFACC), Community Housing Partnership and the Mayor’s Office.
The seven-week pilot program aimed to connect persons living in supportive housing with an animal in need to present an opportunity to reintegrate the person into their community.
“The program seemed like a win-win, it helped formerly homeless people back on their feet and it helped animals that may have otherwise gotten euthanized,” del Rio said about the loss of the program.
“I’m proud of what we were able to do and I’m hopeful that something will happen,”said Bevan Dufty, director of HOPE (Housing Opportunity, Partnerships and Engagement), in reference to the recovery of the program.
If you would like to make a donation to the Friends of Animal Care and Control please email helpacc.org.