Dolores Street Community Services

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Our Community

The communities Dolores Street serves are made up of individuals from a variety of backgrounds and experiences with many different interests and needs. Here are a few personal stories from those who are served by our programs, along with some links to organizations who share our commitment to meeting the housing, healthcare and specialized needs of our community.

Stories from the Dolores Housing Program

The guests at the Dolores Housing Program shelters come from all over the Americas, looking for a foothold on a new life. All of our guests have stories to tell; we share some of those tales with you here.

Bernardo Arelano is a fisherman from Oaxaca; his boat was destroyed in 2005 in Hurricane Stan. Some friends invited him to come up and work with them in San Francisco to make enough money to buy a new boat; he agreed, and set out north.
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Hugo Chavez arrived in San Francisco in early 2006. He is 35 years old, stocky, with a goatee and a bright smile. For a long time, Hugo was a party guy; going out with no particular plan, sailing along, working when he felt like it. In late 2005 Hugo saw his mother for the first time in fourteen years, and after several conversations with her, he decided to change his ways. Hugo moved to San Francisco, found Dolores Street Community Services, and started to work steadily.

Stories from the Cohen Residence

Residents come to us from widely varied backgrounds; you can read some of their stories below.

Tyrone is 48, and has been living at the Cohen House since 1998. He was born in Ogden, Utah, and came out to the Bay Area in 1983 to look for a better job. Originally, he moved to Novato, where he worked for six years at Emporium Capwell’s. In 1990, he moved across the bay to San Francisco, where he started his own business as a housekeeper.
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Richard came to the Cohen House in 1996; he is now 52 years old. He grew up in the Back Bay district of Boston and worked for the Federal Reserve all over the country before taking an early retirement in the late 1980s. His hands and grip are strong, though he walks with a cane.
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Community Links

The staff of Dolores Street works closely with many other organizations in the Mission District and throughout the City. These groups share our committment to providing services and/or advocacy and organizing to ensure that the needs of our community members are met.

People Organizing to Demand Environmental and Economic Rights
Mission Economic Development Association
Mission Anti-displacement Coalition
Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center
Mission Neighborhood Resource Center
Mission Community Council
South of Market Community Action Network
Community Housing Partnership
Coalition on Homelessness
Episcopal Community Services
Central City Hospitality House
St. Boniface Neighborhood Center

Other RCF-CI’s in San Francisco:
Larkin Street Youth Center
Leland House (Catholic Charities)
Maitri
Peter Claver Community (Catholic Charities)

Dolores Street Community Services, 938 Valencia Street, San Francisco, CA 94110, 415-282-6209, info(AT)dscs.org