The San Francisco AIDS Foundation has announced it will relocate its main office from 1035 Market Street to a single-tenant building at 940 Howard Street, remaining in the city's South of Market neighborhood. The move, expected to be completed by spring, means that service locations will change for some clients and programs.
SFAF's Strut health center at 470 Castro Street is not moving and will take on some of the programs that operated at the main office, according to foundation officials. The foundation's Sixth Street Harm Reduction Center, at 117 Sixth Street, will also remain open and operational, according to SFAF. The foundation will begin moving out of the Market Street office December 8.
"With our lease expiring at the end of 2023, this was an opportunity for SFAF to reassess the space needs of staff and the communities of people we serve at our main location," stated Tyler TerMeer, Ph.D., a gay Black man living with HIV who is CEO of the foundation. "The downturn in the real estate market in San Francisco and the changing needs of our staff — many who are able to successfully work remotely — have enabled us to make a change that will ultimately result in cost savings for the organization and improved access for our clients."
TerMeer added that while the physical location will change, "our programs and services, and our commitment to the community, remains the same."
The two-story Howard Street building will house AIDS/LifeCycle, the 545-mile bicycle fundraiser that SFAF operates annually with the Los Angeles LGBT Center; the Stonewall Project substance use treatment program; subsidies and financial benefits; and the administrative offices.
Community engagement programs will also be housed in the new building. They are: Black Brothers Esteem, the Elizabeth Taylor 50+ Network, Healing & Uniting Every Sista (HUES), Programa Latino, and TransLife.
According to the foundation, during the renovations, the Black Brothers Esteem programs will take place online in December and at the San Francisco LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market Street, in January and February. The Elizabeth Taylor 50+ Network's Wednesday night check-ins will remain virtual, as they are now.
Programa Latino will be virtual in January and February.
Most of the Stonewall Project programs will move to Strut. Its Art of Harm Reduction group will meet at the Sixth Street Harm Reduction Center.
Other virtual programs will continue online.
Emily Land, vice president of public affairs for the foundation, declined to provide financial information about the move. She did state that the foundation will be doing "minor renovations" to the Howard Street building "to make it fully accessible to our clients, community members, and staff."
Land stated that the foundation is renting the building with an option to purchase. The lease will be for seven years, she noted.
"The new rental price represents a significant cost savings over our existing lease — approximately 40% reduction in rental cost, which will allow SFAF to focus our resources on existing programs and services," she stated.
According to SFAF's most recent IRS Form 990 for 2021, it spent a total of $4,126,578 on occupancy, which includes rent, utilities, property insurance, and other items.
The Howard Street building is located between Fifth and Sixth streets and is about a 10-minute walk from the Powell Street BART/Muni station.
SFAF noted that a smaller location in SOMA will co-locate storage and select staffing for the Pick Up Crew, its mobile harm reduction outreach teams; Syringe Access Services; and supplies for the harm reduction center.
For more information about the move and a complete list of programmatic location changes during the renovation period, click here.
Sisters' Krampus pageant
San Francisco Krampus and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence will hold the fifth annual Krampus pageant Saturday, December 2, from 4 to 8 p.m. at El Rio, 3158 Mission Street. The event pays homage to the scary side of Christmas, where the naughty creatures of the city will join a panel of stern judges and compete for a chance to be crowned the Krampus of 2023, a news release stated.
Organizers are seeking contestants, who will be judged in three areas: costume, talent, and answering questions from the judges.
The winner will receive a special effects makeup package and an array of prizes to "help them through the holidays," the release noted.
The pageant will feature some "very special (and spooky)" drag performances and live music, the release stated. It will benefit Larkin Street Youth Services, which works to end youth homelessness, including among queer youth.
A recommended donation of $10-$20 at the door is requested, though no one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Those interested in competing can get more information here.
Kickstarter launched for gay physique film archive
A crowdfunding campaign has been launched by the Bob Mizer Foundation in San Francisco to digitize Mizer's color films from the 1970s, with a focus on those films that showed nudity.
The Kickstarter campaign's goal is to raise $30,000 to purchase a state-of-the-art film scanner and supplies. So far, the campaign has raised more than $25,000. It ends November 28.
Over the span of his 50-year career, Mizer, who most men knew was gay, created a body of work that both reflected and skewed American ideals of masculinity, ranging from dramatic lit black and white photographs of musclemen to colorfully extreme close-ups of male genitalia, the foundation noted on its website. From his home in Los Angeles, he photographed thousands of men, ranging from Hollywood actors and bodybuilders to hustlers and porn stars.
Mizer died in 1992 at the age of 70.
The foundation noted that digitizing Mizer's films will be a lengthy project. He created about 3,000 film titles during his career. Den Bell, founder and CEO of the foundation, estimates that the campaign will initially fund the digitization of 150 of them.
To donate, click here.
For more information on the foundation, go to bobmizer.org.
Horizons' State of the Movement program
Horizons Foundation will hold its annual State of the Movement panel discussion Thursday, November 30, online at 5 p.m. Pacific time. The San Francisco-based philanthropic nonprofit noted that this year, the nation "navigates heightened polarization brought on by regressive legislation and deadly rhetoric" that includes hundreds of anti-LGBTQ bills, many of which have been signed into law.
Scheduled panelists are Julie Dorf, senior adviser at the Council for Global Equality; Imani Rupert-Gordon, executive director of the San Francisco-based National Center for Lesbian Rights; Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based National Center for Transgender Equality; and Nadine Smith, executive director of Equality Florida.
There is no cost to attend. People can include questions for the panelists when they register. To sign up, click here.
Spread holiday cheer to seniors
Sonoma County Library has announced its Send Our Seniors Mail program to spread holiday cheer to older adults and volunteers are needed to participate.
"Letter writing is a time-honored way of communicating," stated Ericka Thibault, Sonoma County Library director. "This program is a wonderful way for community members to connect to local seniors with a personal touch."
In a news release from the library, senior centers said the program is welcomed.
"Sending mail to our local seniors is like sending a piece of your heart through the mailbox, reminding them that they are cherished and never alone," stated Emily Heinzelman, director of senior services at West County Services. "By participating, you can make a world of difference in their lives, one letter at a time."
Interested people can visit sonomalibrary.org/sendmail for a list of participating facilities and addresses. Community members of all ages are invited to send cards, postcards, drawings, and letters. People should make sure their mail is legible, in large print, and handwritten. Messages should be kept positive, kind, and thoughtful. Staff at the facilities then distribute the mail to residents who would benefit from positive outreach.
Thibault noted that this is a one-way mail program and senders should not include requests for a response.
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