SAN FRANCISCO – Kenneth Franklin has been given a second chance at life and he is using it to give others a second chance too.
“Repaying my debt to society, so I never look at it like I’m giving anyone anything — it’s more like I’m giving them what I owe them,” Franklin told KPIX.
His ‘guilt’ stems from serving time behind bars. After serving nearly sixty years in prison for gang-related activities, he was released after sixteen years. Today he uses that experience to lend a helping hand to people who are homeless.
“I was a destroyer. I was destroying our community and now I have the opportunity to build our community,” Franklin explained.
He does this by serving on the City of San Francisco’s Homeless Engagement Assistance Response Team, also known as HEART. The team provides an alternative to police response and the program has proven its worth in its first year by responding to thousands of non-emergency calls that can take police days – sometimes weeks – to respond.
“It helps police focus on cases that are more intense throughout the city,” Franklin said. ‘We’re getting more of those [non-emergency calls] because normally nine times out of ten it’s someone who’s homeless and we have that factor that makes us more relatable. It’s more of a calmer situation as we get closer.”
He responds to a burglary call in SoMa from a nearby resident who called the non-emergency police line while waiting for police. Instead of an armed officer, Franklin responded with his partner Rachel, armed only with Narcan, snacks and sympathy.
Director of Emergency Management Mary Ellen Carroll says it is one of the most successful and cost-effective teams in the city, responding to more than 14,000 calls in the past year. The program was approved in 2021 and received a budget allocation of $3 million.
“They’ve filled a gap that we didn’t have before,” says Carroll. “The biggest takeaway is that the program really worked as we expected. It’s a pilot program, so you never really know how it’s going to go. And the way we set it up will work, but in many ways it has achieved what it set out to do.” wanted to achieve.” to do, which is, you know, respond to these types of calls.”
Carroll has heard criticism of city spending on the handful of expensive response programs that, according to a 2023 city audit, don’t always meet promised standards. But each team, she says, serves a specific need for people still dealing with homelessness, substance abuse and mental illness.
“You know, there was some skepticism about whether this would work and whether these funds would be used effectively, but I would say, for what it’s intended to achieve, it’s really one of the most effective programs that we’ve started and hopefully we can continue,” added Carroll.
In the first year of the HEART program, internal data shows that the team responded to 80 percent of 9-1-1 and 3-1-1 calls related to people being unhoused or blocked sidewalks, and placed 144 people in a shelter. It is a program that is effective not only for those who need help, but also for those who help.
Practitioner Rachel Felix is a recovering user of methamphetamines. She has gone to prison herself and now encourages others to make the choice to seek help rather than being forced to do so.
“I’ve been the dealer, I’ve been the user and so now it’s like I’m in a place where I can not only identify, but now I can be on the streets and offer services and give them hope,” she says . said. “And that there are people here who care about their situation and what they are going through.”
Felix says she uses her experiences as an addict and incarcerated person to convince those currently dealing with substance abuse that there is a better way to live.
“In the past, I was flaky. I didn’t show up. I didn’t keep my word. You know, I was selfish. I was self-centered. I thought about myself and my addiction and making money and that was it,” she explained out. “Now I can stand up for people today and keep my word, and not just with people here on the streets, but with my family, you know, in life in general… and it feels really good.”
For Franklin, it’s a cycle that proves its effectiveness.
“By understanding and capturing myself and understanding my worth, I begin to understand my worth. And because I understand my worth, I can now project that onto others,” Franklin said. “The love I have for myself allows me to show you that I love myself so I can show you that I love you and you should love you and this is why I do the work.”
