Partnering for Compassionate Care: SFCCC’s Street Outreach Services (SOS) Program & The Gubbio Project

By Lara Cruz

Lara Cruz has served as Program Manager for SFCCC’s Street Outreach Services since 2023. Lara was born in San Jose and returns to the Bay Area after working in Sacramento for five years. In her previous position, she worked as a supervisor and case manager for adults with developmental disabilities to help her clients experience higher standards of living, but her true ambitions lie in healthcare. Lara is studying for her RN degree and believes healthcare should be accessible to all. She loves frozen yogurt, cinnamon rolls, and warm weather.

St. John the Evangelist Church, which houses the Gubbio Project.

In San Francisco’s Mission district, where many of the city’s unhoused population live day-to-day with little safety or rest, The Gubbio Project offers something very meaningful: a place to just be - and a place to be safe. Whether it’s for a few hours of uninterrupted sleep, a warm cup of coffee, or a quiet moment in community, Gubbio, housed at St. John the Evangelist church, opens its doors six days a week for people to step off the streets into a sanctuary - no questions asked.

That’s one of the many reasons our SOS program is proud to partner with The Gubbio Project. Once a month, the SOS mobile medical team brings its healthcare services into their space, offering wound care, chronic disease management, mental health support, and referrals for long-term treatment and linkage to primary care. It's healthcare that meets people where they are, both physically and emotionally. By going directly to unhoused people, SOS builds relationships of trust, and breaks down the barriers that keep unhoused people from the care they need and deserve. Each year over 1,000 unhoused San Franciscans receive care from SOS, at many sites throughout the city, including Gubbio, improving their lives and the health delivery system.

As Lydia Bransten, Gubbio’s Executive Director, explains, “When it comes to folks who are living on the streets, they are often only seen as having one issue—using drugs. When we talk to them about seeing a doctor, we talk about diabetes, blood pressure, their general health. It reminds them that their bodies are precious and need care. Sometimes, getting care for chronic illness like diabetes can lead to recovery in other areas, as well, because they are being reminded that their bodies are what carries them through the world.”

Inside the Gubbio Project.

For many people living on the streets, the medical system can feel cold and inaccessible. But at Gubbio and SOS, people are greeted with warmth, trust, and humanity, and that makes all the difference.

Bransten says, “Our partnership with SOS is vital for the continuum of care of our guests. We are able to move directly from conversations of ‘I’m not feeling well’ or ‘I have a wound’ or ‘I haven’t had blood pressure medication for 6 months’ to saying ‘We have free medical services here today who can help you with that.”

Together, our Gubbio and SOS teams try to address societal gaps with compassion. Health isn’t just about medicine, it’s about being seen, feeling safe, and having someone to turn to for help in tough times. We’re honored to work alongside The Gubbio Project in caring for the unhoused community in San Francisco that we both serve.