Hundreds of people from up and down the West Coast converged in San Francisco on January 20 to rally, march and organize to eradicate homelessness. Looking to the skies, they collectively exhaled with a giant sigh of relief when the clouds parted and the sun came out over Justin Herman Plaza just in time for a noon gathering.

The San Francisco Coalition on Homelessness and the Los Angeles Community Action Network helped fill the large plaza across from San Francisco's towering Ferry Building. These two organizations were joined by Sisters of the Road, Street Spirit, Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency, and the group known as Street Roots. Together they formed an action organizing team and sponsored speakers from across the US.

Following the rally, the group marched past Speaker Pelosi's office in the Federal Building then continued on to the Civic Center Plaza. Marchers sloshed through puddles left by recent thunderstorms, but as one participant pointed out, "ain't nothing tough about this compared to sleeping on the streets."

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Western Regional Advocacy Project | Los Angeles Community Action Network | San Francisco Coalition on Homelessness