QUICK LINKS
Care Line
is for everyone – that includes you!
(844) HOPE-4-SF / (844) 467-3473 | 8 pm – 2 am PDT
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Tuesday Gathering
Tuesdays | 6 – 7:30 pm
[email protected]
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Community Night Walks
We welcome groups to walk with us at night! Click for more information.
tending to the human spirit
makes lasting change
Years Since 1964
Nights Walking
Beloved City
Mission
The San Francisco Night Ministry increases access to spiritual care and multifaith community – at night, on the phones, and on the streets.
We do not judge or convert. We meet people where they are and offer loving presence.
Call
It’s for you
Our trained phone volunteers accompany anyone seeking spiritual, emotional or crisis support from 8 pm to 2 am PDT. Call whether you are in San Francisco, New York, or anywhere else in the world. (844) 467-3473
Values
We honor people and support human dignity
We cherish our common humanity. We do not judge, fix, or convert. We believe time and loving attention is the most precious gift a person can give, and we know the healing power of presence.
The Collar
Not what you might think
Our night ministers come from many traditions. Each person wears whatever works best for their authentic, compassionate outreach.
While some wear a collar because it is easily recognizable, others wear robes or symbols of their tradition. Still others just wear a name tag. Ultimately, everyone is focused on meeting people with care.
HOW WE HELP
moments of connection matter
We build connection and community by providing spiritual care in four areas:
- Night Walks
- Care Line
- Community Gatherings
- Clinical Pastoral Education Training
IMPACT
Facing Difficult times together
In 2022, we saw 34,852 significant spiritual and emotional care contacts. Hundreds of these involved intense or crisis situations, including:
- conversations about suicide
- domestic or sexual violence
- drug abuse or overdose situation
We are a steady support. We journey with people who face difficult times.
WATCH VIDEO
Social Justice
#SpiritualMatters
Accessing quality spiritual care should not be limited only to those with enough advantage to access it. San Francisco Night Ministry provides spiritual care without borders.
Of course, spiritual care is only one aspect of an interconnected web of skillful response to the crisis of inequities in our city and nation. Fair housing and meeting people’s basic needs are essential. Systemic racism and bias of all kinds must be addressed forthrightly and urgently.
Myth
Most people who are homeless came into San Francisco from another city.
Fact
In 2019, 55% of people living in homelessness reported living in San Francisco for 10 or more years, and just 6% said they’d lived in the city for less than one year.
The latest one-night count in San Francisco found 8,011 people living in homelessness in the city, 17% more than in 2017. That number does not include people in prisons, hospitals and rehabilitation centers who are counted in a supplemental tally. Adding those numbers would put the city’s homeless population closer to 10,000, 30% higher than in 2017.
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- Read more myths and facts from the SF Homeless Project of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- The Coalition on Homelessness also provides a collection of research papers.
- Check out this powerful video from Democracy Now.
Join Us
Help us spark hope
There are many ways to get involved:
- Volunteering as a phone counselor or on night walks or in support of our street programs;
- Donating meals, silent auction items, and other resources
- Walking the streets guided by night ministers with your corporate team or community group or faith group on our Community Night Walks
- Raising awareness through peer-to-peer fundraising
Pictured: Students from the University of San Francisco providing a meal from their school cafeteria for Open Cathedral as a part of their Food Recovery Network.