Saturday, July 17, marked the official opening of Safe Passage Park (SPark), a new outdoor community space located on the 200 block of Turk St. SPark is the newest addition to the Tenderloin Park Network, offering space for outdoor play, socializing and movement, arts and health classes.

International Downtown Association (IDA), the leading organization for professional place management leaders worldwide, and Bigbelly hosted a webinar on how the Bigbelly’s Smart Waste solution can support Placemaking & Operational Efficiency. Guest speakers for this event were TLCBD’s Executive Director, Simon Bertrang, and Jessica Lappin, President of the Alliance for Downtown New York.

Watch the video here.

GLIDE (300 Block of Ellis) is hosting a weekly COVID-19 vaccination site every Thursday from 10am-3pm for residents of the Tenderloin. Walk-ups are welcome. Approximately 200 vaccines are available each Thursday. COVID-19 testing also continues.

Here are some photos from our latest Play Streets event —an afternoon for kids and families, hopscotch, music, storytelling, postcard-writing, chalk art, putt putt golf, and time outside. This event also included a giveaway of 100 Samsung Galaxy Tablets and 100 art easels to kids in the Tenderloin, donated by Juanita More!

Thank you to all our partners for making this happen, including Livable City, St Anthony’s, Supervisor Matt Haney, 826 Valencia, and Envelope A+D. A great day was had by all!

Check out some of the photos from Saturday’s Play Streets event. This was the first of six Play Street events, creating a safe and open space to play, stretch the legs, and have some fun in the Tenderloin. A big thank you to all the neighborhood organizations involved! Masks and social distancing requirements will continue to be in place.

As CounterPulse celebrates 30 years of arts KQED highlights this Tenderloin arts organization‘s past, present, and future. Read more via KQED.

The Tenderloin has a new Tenderloin Station Captain! Captain Chris Canning has been assigned earlier this month to the Tenderloin Station. Thank you Captain Fabbri for all your efforts in the neighborhood, and welcome Captain Chris Canning! Get the details to register for the March 3rd Meet and Greet here.

During the latest Street Level Drug Dealing Task Force meeting, Sam Dennison from Faithful Fools was a guest presenter. Sam went through a slide deck that featured the history, work, and ideas from a TL Community Council. You can read more about the Tenderloin Thrives initiative here, as well as the latest posted minutes from the January 30th Street Level Drug Dealing Task Force meeting here.

Happy 30 years to CounterPulse! This organization has been a key programming partner in our parks and public spaces –leading drumming circles, dance performances, and art activations. They are currently doing drumming 2-3pm at Macaulay Park on Tuesdays. Watch this video highlighting their work from 2020, and donate to support future projects with Bay Area artists.

On the rare occasion she leaves her room, Diane Evans uses a walker to gingerly navigate San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood. Most days, the 74-year-old wears a multicolored head wrap, extra-large T-shirt and plaid pajama pants. Deprived of classes and shared meals at the senior center she calls home, she is alone most of the time, beset by numerous health problems and severe clinical depression. She is, in fact, a prime candidate during this pandemic to be crushed by loneliness. Yet, she is making it through OK. Read her story via KQED.

Before the pandemic, one could have caught the 27 bus up the steep hill to St. Francis Memorial Hospital, the closest clinic, or down to Foods Co. in the Mission, the nearest affordable grocery store. But for more than eight months, the bus stop has sat empty, with a sign that shows 30% of Muni service hours lost because of COVID-19. Read more about the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s fiscal crisis, leaving its leaders with excruciating decisions about how to save money and jobs while still serving the public. Read more via SF Chronicle.