Mar 5, 2024
In Part 2, we really get into
the meat of what Huckleberry Youth is and how it got started. You
know, I keep finding out ways in which our city pioneered things
for the nation. I recently saw the upcoming Carol Doda documentary
and learned that she was the first topless dancer in the US. And in
this episode, we hear from Doug and Denise something very important
that Huckleberry Youth did before anyone else. And of course, at
the time they did it, it was illegal.
1967 is also known as the
"Summer of Love" in San Francisco. And that meant young people from
all over the country and world flocked to our city to find whatever
it was they were looking for. Not all of them were lucky. Many
faced hardship, having trouble finding shelter, making friends, and
getting sick or addicted to drugs. A group of faith-based
organizations and folks in the nonprofit world got together to do
something about it, and Huckleberry House was born.
But back then, both being a
youth runaway was illegal, and, if you provided shelter for a
runaway, it was considered aiding and abetting. Huckleberry House
was the first such shelter for runaway youth in the
country.
But all it took was one
complaint from a parent. SFPD raided the house and arrested youth
and staff alike. Now they needed a lawyer, and they found one in a
young man named Willie Brown. The future mayor got the charges
dropped, and Huckleberry House reopened in February 1968. It has
been in legal operation ever since.
Denise and Doug talk about
several programs that Huckleberry Youth has established over the
years. One such program was HYPE,
established in the 1980s to help young people with HIV/AIDS. They
give thanks and respect to Huckleberry's own Danny
Keenan—the first to say, in effect, "We need to have kids
talking to kids" to address problems like young people who are
sick.
I bring up the fire at their
Geary Boulevard administrative offices back in 2019 because I
witnessed it (I live not too far from there). The office had been
at Geary and Parker for more than 30 years. The fire in front of
Hong Kong Lounge 2 destroyed memorabilia and photos at
Huckleberry's office, but they were able to save a lot
too.
During COVID, Huckleberry House
stayed open and even took in new youth. Partly because of the fire,
they had been moving a lot of admin stuff online before the
pandemic, so they were able to make that transition.
The conversation then shifts to
kids who come to them addicted. Huckleberry gets those youth into
its justice program, known as CARC (Community
Assessment and Resource Center). Denise tells this story, because
she was at Delancey Street when the program started in 1998 (see
Part 1 of this podcast). It turned out to be too much for that
nonprofit, and so they handed it over to Huckleberry 2000. Doug and
Denise estimate that the program has helped at least 7,000
individuals, and possibly as many as 10,000.
We end this episode with Denise
and Doug responding to our theme this season: "We're all in
it."
Go to Huckleberryyouth.org to
donate and learn more about all that they do to help underserved
youth in San Francisco.
Photography by Jeff
Hunt
We recorded this podcast in
December 2023 at Huckleberry Youth's administrative offices on
Geary.