For 18 years, Hospitality House has operated a drop-in center on 6th Street. Cherie Davis, program manager at the site, says it provides vital resources to the community.
During a rally in front of the center, she told the crowd, "We have case management to keep people housed. We have phones. We got bathrooms — the only ones on Sixth Street."
A woman in the crowd shouted back, "That's right! They're clean. And public!"
Sixth Street also offers mental health services, substance use resources, and housing referrals.
After the last city budget was approved in July, the nonprofit was ordered to close and vacate the location by the end of 2026.
Mayor Daniel Lurie’s office says it plans to revitalize the area, but hasn’t elaborated much on what that will look like.
In an email to KALW, the Mayor’s office said, “we’re currently looking at how to activate the space at 169 6th Street and bring in resources and amenities that serve and energize the whole community.”
But staff and clients at the 6th Street Drop-in Center say that’s what they do already, for more than 4000 people annually.
Juthaporn Chaloeicheep has relied on Hospitality House for years.
" I was homeless and a drug addict for about 20 years," she said.
She’s been housed since her youngest son was five years old. He’s eleven now, and participates in Hospitality House’s Community Art Program. Chaloeicheep says the closure will be disruptive for clients.
"Now they're gonna be in survival mode again. It's not fair and it's not right. Why take something away when it's working?" she asked.
The city said the services available at Sixth-Street will move to Hospitality House’s Tenderloin location eight blocks away.
