Delancey Street Foundation

Just north of Oracle Park in San Francisco, California, you’ll find the Delancey Street Foundation’s San Francisco community. This unique organization provides a safe space and a long-term refuge for ex-convicts, homeless individuals, people with drug addictions, and others who’ve hit rock bottom in their lives. It’s free to enroll and participate.

Instead of a traditional treatment program or service for drug and alcohol addiction, they offer a structured living experience designed to help residents in two main ways. Firstly, each individual is given the opportunity to break free from their past, and secondly, everyone who moves through the program is taught how to contribute to something that goes beyond their individual lives. They charge no fees, relying instead on the collective contributions of the many people who live and work in the community.

Helping Residents Rebuild Their Lives

They have three primary rules to help maintain the safety of the community: no violence, no threats, and no drugs or alcohol. These rules make the community a safe environment for those recovering from an alcohol or substance addiction to achieve and maintain sobriety.

Their program takes place in a series of phases. In the first phase, they help you develop personal skills like breaking old habits, forming new ones, and living in harmony with the community. From then on, they provide you with several opportunities to work, learn vocational skills, and build yourself up in the community. Residents who’ve been in the community for three or more years even earn the opportunities of helping newer residents and running the operation themselves.

Equipping You for the Road Ahead

Another great part about this community is that they focus on equipping everyone with an education. Residents are required to attain at least a high school equivalent if they don’t yet have one, and there are many opportunities for higher learning.

Because the community is in the Bayside Park area, you’ll be close to several recreational spots and useful resources. The facility is near the Embarcadero & Brannan train station, making accessing public transport simple. The world-famous Bay Bridge Lookout in Rincon Park is also less than half a mile north of the community.