#LavaMae

[hanari502]

Boom have more positive energies and vibes from Georgia, Spirit Bomb that down feeling!

Oh shit Georgia comin’ in clutch.

[birdblitz]

Does Siobhan like to read? If she does, what's her favorite genre?

siobhan LOVES reading and even wants to be a novelist one day!!she likes reading anything, but she gets super into anything fantasy-related or history-related

[lavamae]

Meet Frank, born and raised in San Francisco and a dedicated guest at Lava Mae for over a year and half, using the showers 3-4 times a week.

“I love the services, the people who work here are awesome, very respectful. It is very nice having this kind of privacy. If you go to other places you have to worry about your stuff getting stolen, it’s a nightmare. Here, you don’t have to worry about bringing your stuff in, and I don’t have to worry about my cat, Fantom either.”

Before Lava Mae, Frank would go to drop in places where he would wait with hundreds of other people for several hours. However, at Lava Mae, Frank said the volunteers are amazing and he feels safe with his belongings.

Although Lava Mae allows Frank and so many other San Franciscans to have their own private time, Frank said that “It takes all day to get things done when you’re homeless. People say ‘get a job’ but being homeless is a job.”

After Frank showered at Lava Mae his day was already full. Immediately after his shower he planned on going to a food provider for lunch, then to another neighborhood to look for a spot to set up his tent to stay for the night.

After serving in the military for three years, at the age of 38, Frank had a bad injury and “from there I started taking pain pills and started to get addicted to heroin to keep me off the pain pills. I had been on crutches for two years and with no pain meds I had to learn how to walk again. It was brutal. That’s why I started to snort heroin for the pain. I didn’t realize because you think you can do it one or two times a week, but it’s a powerful drug, you get addicted really easy and fast,” he said.

After his injury in 2002, Frank said, he had lost everything, couldn’t work and everything just kind of fell out, and he ended up being homeless. Since then, Frank has been bouncing in and out of San Francisco.

“I got out of being homeless for awhile, but again, people don’t realize, people are just a paycheck away,” he said, and in these pockets of escaping homelessness, Frank used various programs, including sober living programs. But, he said the struggle with all of these places and programs is that “there is always a time limit. They give you a year, which is not a lot of time to get your life sorted out, and now those programs are being cut down even more to 90 days. They expect people to get their lives together in 90 days, and it’s not possible.”

After over 15 years of being homeless, Frank said he maintains his resilience through “wanting to have things and a better life. That’s it.

[emiliosmeke]

I call this LavaMae blue #blue #lavamaex (at Vernon, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CCHMnfEHOWnJH6gF1ajKx4tlDhMjcCu9n5vZvY0/?igshid=1ehba4okyvtk9

[modteaart]

A combined request of C. Viper for @lavama and @astray-art

[breakingnews365]

J&K Updates: Terrorist killed in encounter with security forces

J&K Updates: Terrorist killed in encounter with security forces

Jammu Kashmir Encounter. In Jammu and Kashmir once again, encounters between security forces and terrorists have started. According to the information received, the first encounter took place late in the night between the security forces and the terrorists in the Sharashi Khiryu area of ​​Avantipura. At the same time, the second encounter started in the Shar Pampore area of ​​Pu Lavama district.…

[lavamae]

Meet Keulani

We met Keulani and her mother at our hygiene service at First Friendship Institutional. Although they moved to San Francisco just a few months ago from Georgia, the mother is a native San Franciscan. Unfortunately, their move back to SF was tougher than anticipated. Booming housing prices quickly forced them to the streets. The family was also denied financial support because the father’s $19/hour job was considered “too much money,” yet they “can barely afford one room, let alone support a family.”

While it has been a confusing and frustrating journey for the family, they have found relief in showering with Lava Mae because it is “clean,” safe, and reliable, and they “look forward to it each week.”

The mother is continuing her job search in hopes that she and her husband can provide the best environment possible for their daughter.

Wishing the best of luck to Keulani + her family in their pursuit of stable employment + housing 💙

Next time you pass an unhoused neighbor on the street, imagine how much resilience it must take to simply survive each day. Let this serve as a reminder that despite being unhoused, so many of our guests are balancing full time jobs and caring for their families - an extremely trying feat.

[planetmidori]

Benefit for @lavamae & @teenvancom at @catherineclarkgallery #sanfrancisco (at Catharine Clark Gallery) https://www.instagram.com/p/BrtvPMrBwOO/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=gii5cl4xxd1a

[morgan--hale]

@thegoodcraftsf is one week from today! Come out to @celeryspace in Berkeley for art, music, pupusas, and beer! Part of the proceeds are donated to @lavamae, a non profit that helps provide basic hygiene services to those in need.

[emiliosmeke]

LavaMae LA #lavamaela (at Daily Concepts)

[kitchengadgetgirl]

Excited to receive these Farmgirl flowers! #fgflove April orders benefit @lavamae, yes to radical hospitality!

[mass37]

Great so see Lavamae helping out those in need of showers, haircuts, and clothing. There's a lot of people with basic needs via Instagram http://ift.tt/2maFlfE

[lavamae]

Lava Mae Founder Doniece Sandoval receives a 2017 James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award!

Big News! We're thrilled to share that our founder & CEO Doniece Sandoval received a 2017 James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award today!

The #IrvineAwards recognize individuals who are advancing innovative solutions to critical issues facing California, and we deeply appreciate the Foundation for amplifying our efforts to deliver radical hospitality and restore dignity for those experiencing homelessness. The award also comes with $200,000 to support our work!

We’d love for you to share this wonderful news and the video that beautifully brings Lava Mae's work to life! Please read, watch and enjoy at: irvine.org/leadership-awards/recipients/doniece-sandoval