On Mission Street between 8th and 9th, the Urban Alchemy LOVE Team’s daily mission goes beyond cleaning streets: it’s about saving lives and nurturing hope.
For Assistant Director Sherman, affectionately known as Sherm, the job is deeply personal.
“Everyone needs help, and everyone needs love,” Sherm told CBS News Bay Area.
After spending more than thirty years behind bars, he found redemption in his efforts to help others. One of his proudest moments came when he reversed an overdose on the street, a moment that cemented his transformation.
“I felt good helping people,” he remembers. “I’ve been talking about it all day and all week. I once took a life, now I’m saving lives. That was a good moment for me.”
Urban Alchemy’s LOVE (Lifting Our Voices for Equity) team launched in 2023. It started as an all-female initiative focused on supporting unhoused women and survivors of domestic violence. In its first year, it evolved into blended teams trained in compassionate outreach, connecting those in need to essential care and resources without relying on law enforcement.
Figures shared exclusively with CBS News Bay Area show that between May and September 2024, the team safely disposed of 1,701 needles, prevented six overdose deaths and filled more than 1,000 trash bags to keep public areas clean. Despite visible successes in their district, Urban Alchemy faces increasing challenges.
This weekend, Urban Alchemy was targeted in two separate acts of vandalism. Photos and videos shared with CBS News Bay Area showed racist graffiti defacing the Tenderloin location on Friday. A swastika was spray-painted on the group’s Market Street headquarters overnight Monday. Both incidents are being investigated by the San Francisco Police Department.
The problem is compounded by the uncertainty surrounding Urban Alchemy’s financing. The group was approved to receive $7 million to fund services for the Mid-Market nonprofit, but the money remains in the city’s budget committee. This delay prompted the organization to issue WARN Act notices to more than 300 employees who could face layoffs.
Steve Gibson, executive director of the Mid-Market Business Association and Foundation, told CBS News Bay Area that the process is “typically routine” to change the contract and free up money already approved in the budget.
“It’s a little difficult to understand why Supervisor Connie Chan has decided not to bring this issue up in her budget subcommittee,” Gibson said.
Supervisor Chan, chairman of the budget committee, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The committee will consider the issue at a hearing on December 4.
“We haven’t given up hope,” Gibson added. “We are also realists, and the games being played are real, and if they continue, this will be the result of the dismissal.”
Newly elected Mayor Daniel Lurie emphasized his commitment to fiscal responsibility and maintaining essential services, saying, “I am building a team rooted in accountability, service delivery and change to address the city’s historic challenges. I will make these difficult decisions next year when I take up this position, but I am determined to maintain vital services despite this difficult budget environment. I plan to do that by demanding accountability and measurable results every time we spend public money.”
Mayor London Breed, a staunch supporter of Urban Alchemy, urged the immediate release of funds.
“The people who work for Urban Alchemy are exactly the kind of people we’re trying to help in this city: they provide jobs to people looking for a second chance at life,” Breed said. “They have done an incredible job and are out on the streets every day trying to change the conditions of the Tenderloin. Stopping this funding is a catastrophe for the neighborhood and terrible for the hardworking employees of Urban Alchemy. This needs to be resolved now. “
For Urban Alchemy practitioners like Sherm and LOVE team director Natiya “Tay” Johnson, the work goes beyond their professional duties. Johnson, who has experienced homelessness herself, says her personal history allows her to connect with those she helps.
“I understand because I was there,” she said. “I know what it feels like to think that no one cares. But now that I work in the community, I see myself in the people I help.”
Sherm described his approach to the role this way: “Every day I listen to people, I see what their real needs are. And when I show that I care, I learn something too – just for that moment.”
In their street, love is not just a word. It is an action and a commitment. And a second chance for Sherm and Tay.
