Let’s do the impossible: End street homelessness—and grow a national stewardship movement in the process.

Francis of Assisi—the name sake of San Francisco—famously challenged himself and others to take action when facing humanitarian issues: “First do what’s necessary, then do what’s possible, and soon you will be doing the impossible.”

Challenge accepted. Founded in 2015, Saint Francis Challenge (SFC) emerged with a bold mission: to end the crisis conditions of homelessness—beginning with the growing epidemic of unsheltered homelessness on the streets of San Francisco and across the Bay Area. Since day one, we’ve embraced Saint Francis’s simple yet powerful mandate—to do what’s necessary and possible, turning urgent needs into lasting, transformative change.

Do what’s necessary. Do what’s possible. Innovate for the greater good.

As an all volunteer organization, we started where the need was greatest—addressing the needs of people living in and near large encampments—and partnered with neighbors, advocates, service providers, and city leaders to shape policy and pilot real solutions.

After a decade of innovative action, SFC continues to drive scalable solutions to end the crisis conditions of street homelessness and interim shelter by working with municipalities, service providers, and people exiting street homelessness to implement our BEST Places framework.

Co-create BEST Places—places of Belonging, Essential Needs, Shared Agreements, and Teamwork.

In 2024, SFC worked with the City of Ojai, California to implement our Resident Steward model at “Ojai Tent Town” in order to support co-living, resident wellness, safety, and community-integration at the city-sanctioned encampment.

SFC’s 2021 report on interventions for unsheltered homelessness and unsanctioned camping commissioned by the City of Santa Fe.

SFC has helped fund, build, and utilize over a dozen mobile cabins to provide safe transitional shelter, including three hemp-insulated cabins.

Mission & Activities

Since 2015, Saint Francis Challenge has been dedicated to ending street homelessness through impactful initiatives:

Direct Services: Delivering essential services at unsanctioned and sanctioned encampments, including portable toilets, trash removal, mobile sleeping cabins, food, clothing, health supplies, connections to service providers, and implementing SFC’s Resident Steward Model.

Innovative Shelter Solutions: Developing and piloting the SOS (Safe Organized Spaces/Supported Outdoor Shelter) policy to activate underutilized public and private land for community-integrated supported shelter and funding the R&D of mobile shelters

Empowerment Frameworks: Implementing the Resident Steward Model and BEST places framework, focusing on Belonging, Essential needs, Shared Agreements, and Teamwork within encampments, shelters, and supported housing.

Accountability for All—with Trauma Informed Frameworks: Utilizing trauma-informed practices to foster healing and stability, while also holding individuals accountable for how their behaviors impact co-living and community integration.

Outreach & Education: Conducting both in-person and online outreach for petitions, site-specific projects, and advocacy campaigns.

Collaborative Solutions: Partnering with local, regional, and state stakeholders—including unsheltered residents, neighbors, service organizations, and government officials—to create actionable solutions.

Advocacy for Shelter Initiatives: Championing SOS village pilots and advocating for sufficient interim shelter across San Francisco, the Bay Area, California, and the Southwest region (Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico)

Funding Partnerships: Seeking collaborations with funders to support SOS pilots in San Francisco, throughout California, and in the Southwest region.

Network Building: Strengthening our local, statewide, and national network of advocates, service providers, policy experts, and government officials to enhance our collective impact.