Helping the Park's Unhoused

Park Ranger Amanda Barrows and Kaine. .Kaine lived in Hellman Hollow for more than 20 years\ until Barrows started working with him. This photo was taken at the Allen Hotel, where now lives.

From the beginning of this project I’ve been interested in — and concerned about — people who live in the park. The numbers of park dwellers aren’t very big, but some have made the park their home for years, and even decades. I wrote about a few of these long-time residents last year.

In the course of my reporting, I met a park ranger named Amanda Barrows, one of two rangers focused on homeless people in city parks. The job involves helping park dwellers connect with the services they say they need. That can mean something as big as housing, or as small as a chance to charge their phone. She’s helped people get IDs and secure government benefits and retrieve belongings that were confiscated in crackdowns on encampments. She’s helped people who were sick get medical care and addicts get into detox programs. She’s dispensed Narcan and socks, pet food and water, trash bags and paper towels. And most important of all, she’s helped some long-time park residents finally secure a roof over their heads. Her patience, persistence and dedication are truly extraordinary.

I followed Barrows and some of the “clients” she’s worked for more than two years, and recently published a story in the San Francisco Standard about what I learned, including just how hard it can be to help someone who’s been living outside for years settled into stable housing.

Some of you may have already read it, but I wanted to share the piece here. (If the link doesn’t work, or you get blocked by a paywall, let me know and I’ll email it to you directly.)