Saint Francis Challenge

Do what's necessary.
Do what's possible.
Innovate for the greater good.
#SAINTFRANCISCHALLENGE

Francis of Assisi famously challenged himself and others to take action WHEN FACING seemingly iMPOSSIBLE issues.

SINCE 2015, SAINT FRANCIS CHALLENGE HAS PUT SOLUTIONS INTO ACTION TO ALLEVIATE THE CRISIS CONDITIONS OF STREET HOMELESSNESS, ONE OF THE BIGGEST humanitarian CHALLENGES OF OUR DAY.

Join Saint Francis Challenge in our #TEAMHUMANITY approach to taking on the biggest challenges of OUR day: Creating places of belonging, essential needs, shared agreements, and teamwork for all people, STARTING WITH NEIGHBORS WHO ARE experiencing UNSHELTERED homelessness.

➤➤➤ADOPT/ADAPT OUR MODELS for Supported Outdoor Shelter/Safe Organized Spaces (SOS Villages), Resident Stewardship, Outreach and Organizing, MOBILE HEMP-INSULATED CABINS, and more (SEE PROJECTS)

The #BESTPLACES to live are places of:
BELONGING
ESSENTIAL NEEDS
SHARED AGREEMENTS
TEAMWORK.

2025 resident steward VALUES

1. YOU BELONG—YOUR NEEDS MATTER

2. BE A TEAM PLAYER—CONSIDER YOUR IMPACT

3. IF YOUR BEHAVIOR IMPACTS THE COMMUNITY, IT BECOMES A COMMUNITY ISSUE

4. IF YOU DIDN'T SEE IT OR HEAR IT YOURSELF, TAKE IT WITH A BOULDER OF SALT

5. STAND UP FOR TRUTH, SAFETY, & FAIRNESS FOR EVERYONE—YES EVERYONE!

6. THERE'S NO SHAME IN OUR GAME—SHINE A LIGHT WITH GRACE

7. LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR—EVEN IF YOU DON'T LIKE THEM

8. BE HUMBLE AND CURIOUS IN SERVICE TO THE GREATER GOOD

9. SEEK WIN-WIN SOLUTIONS

10. BE ACCOUNTABLE TO THE SPIRIT OF SHARED AGREEMENTS

MISSION & services

Since SAINT FRANCIS CHALLENGE was founded in 2015, we have worked towards our mission to end the crisis conditions of street homelessness by:

1. Providing direct services at SAN FRANCISCO encampments (including portapotties, trash removal, mobile sleeping cabins, linkage to service providers, etc.)

2. DevelopING trauma-informed values as a foundation to support healing, wellness, stability, co-living, AND COMMUNITY-INTEGRATION.

3. conductING outreach for SOS petitionS, site specific projects, and advocacy campaigns; 

4. Organizing with local, regional, and state-level stakeholders to develop actionable solutions, including currently/formerly unsheltered residents, impacted neighbors, service/advocacy organizations, and government officials;

5. Developing and piloting Safe Organized Spaces/Supported Outdoor Shelter (SOS) POLICY AND OPERATIONS RESOURCES for activating underutilized public/private land with community-integrated SUPPORTED SHELTER;

6. DEVELOPING AND PILOTING RESIDENT STEWARD PROGRAMS IN SUPPORT OF BELONGING, ESSENTIAL NEEDS, SHARED AGREEMENTS, AND TEAMWORK FOR ENCAMPMENTS, SHELTER, AND SUPPORTED HOUSING.

7. Advocating for SOS village pilots in San Francisco, THE BAY AREA and throughout California;

8. Updating the SOS policy and operations toolkit for California cities experiencing a shelter shortage crisis;

9. Seeking partnerships with funders to fund SOS pilots in San Francisco, throughout California, and in the SW region;

10. Building upon our local, statewide, & national network of advocates, service providers, policy experts, and government officials;

​FOUNDING MISSION (2015)
​SAINT FRANCIS CHALLENGE was founded in 2015 in San Francisco and focused on ending the street homelessness crisis at the local (San Francisco), regional (Bay Area), state (California), and national (USA) levels from 2015-2020.

During COVID, Saint Francis Challenge relocated to New Mexico and is now headquartered in Santa Fe, New Mexico. As of 2023 we have expanded our mission to include additional humanitarian challenges and a national focus for our campaigns.

​FOUNDING PRINCIPLES (2015)

• Do what is necessary and possible to end the crisis conditions of street homelessness.

• Secure sleep, secure storage, healthy food and water access, privacy, sanitation, garbage disposal, and a place to belong in community are essential human needs that should be met for all human beings ASAP.

• Shine a light with grace—look at harmful behaviors through the lens of unmet needs, confusion, and/or unhealed trauma.

• Take the side of truth, justice, safety, and wellbeing for everyone—including yourself (not one particular group or person).

• Agree to disagree when necessary, give credit where it's due, and always work together for the greater good when possible.

• Living in community is challenging—whether you live in an encampment, SRO, group housing, or condo; Shared agreements and systems of accountability and participation make it easier.

• Aim to support transition from crisis living conditions in the least restrictive and most autonomous setting possible—with baselines for wellness (including safety, health, and privacy).

• De-stigmatize the need for healing, off-grid living, interdependence, and dual accountability.  

• Everyone is a participant, not just a recipient. Share responsibility for solutions, site operations, and stewardship.

• No matter where you go to sleep tonight, next week, or next year, you belong to the human family, the earth, and the cosmos.

Founder/Director: Amy Farah Weiss

SF Chronicle Editorial: "A better approach to homeless encampments" by AFW (10/2016)

SF Examiner Opinion Piece: “Addressing SF’s anticipated shelter service gaps with Safe Organized Spaces” by AFW (3/2019)

180 Jones/Tenderloin Proposal

SOS Pilot at Impact Hub: July 2017-July 2018

ORGANIZING WITH ENCAMPMENT RESIDENTS & volunteers

Volunteers for painting, BBQ, & trash clean-up at Box City encampment (7th St/Mission Bay)