City To Determine Fate Of Displaced Nuns' Mission Soup Kitchen Today

City To Determine Fate Of Displaced Nuns' Mission Soup Kitchen Today1930 Mission St., where two nuns priced out of the Tenderloin hope to open a new soup kitchen. (Photo: Google Maps)
Saul Sugarman
Published on January 12, 2017

Two nuns have been facing an uphill battle to feed the homeless in Mission, where some local residents believe the wrong kind of people will be drawn to a soup kitchen that the sisters want to open.

The Sisters of the Fraternite Notre Dame—who were nearly forced to move their Tenderloin kitchen due to high rental costs on Turk Street—will face their latest hurdle this afternoon, when the San Francisco Planning Commission considers whether their proposed Mission digs can be zoned to allow a kitchen.

The new spot, an empty retail space on the first floor of 1930 Mission St., has drawn complaints from condo owners above it and from tenants next door. They believe the clientele formerly served by the sisters in Tenderloin “bring crime, graffiti, substance abuse, and panhandling,” according to city documents.

That’s just one among 10 gripes lodged by two organizations. The first organization is 1930 Mission Street Home Owners Association, which represents 15 condos on floors 2-4 above the proposed soup kitchen.

The second organization, 1924 Mission Street Properties, represents the adjacent building, where plans have been filed to turn an auto-body shop into a mixed-use residential and commercial space.

Even with a myriad of complaints before it, the Planning Department has already tipped its hat in favor of the sisters, explaining in a Dec. 30th analysis of the situation that the agency “does not review nor discriminate upon a proposed use based on the perceived clientele of the proposed use.”

The document also noted that city guidelines instruct local officials to work toward “expanding community responsiveness to meeting social needs.”

Perhaps most notably, the report recommended the commission forego its discretionary review of the project and approve it as planned. That preliminary recommendation is also written in today’s agenda for the commission meeting.

The nuns, Marie Valerie and Marie Benedicte, have drawn widespread attention for their efforts. Faced with an unaffordable rent hike last year, the pair received $25,000 from motivational speaker Tony Robbins, who also came to support the sisters this morning before the meeting.

As a poor child and homeless teenager, Robbins identified with their story.

He later gave them $750,000 to buy 1930 Mission St. an additional $50,000 to set up the soup kitchen once the real estate was secured. The nuns also raised $20,773 through a GoFundMe campaign.

Amidst the attention the area has garnered, Hoodline recently received a tip that the building is already an alleged home to questionable activities.

“We have people selling crack (and smoking it) all day long outside of our doorway, and the police won’t do anything about it. [A police captain] has said it’s a low priority given other problems, but this has been going on for a year if not more,” said the tipster, Brandon W.

Photo of people outside 1930 Mission | PHOTO: Kevin S./Hoodline

Inquiries to the San Francisco Police Department to confirm these reports have not been returned. But if the Planning Commission does take discretionary review today, these allegations will likely arise during public comment.

Thanks to Brandon W. for the tip.

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