Richmond Roundup

Survey Shows Unsupervised Youth Have Access to Guns
A survey of 251 youth aged 12 to 17 shows 34 percent of the youth have access to guns and 47 percent said they personally know someone who has died because of an act of violence.

As well, 53 percent of those surveyed said they were unsupervised most days from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., the time when most youth are apt to be victims of crime and violence.

The survey was conducted by the youth-run Mission District group H.O.M.E.Y. Project for Choices for Youth: A Public Education Campaign to Prevent Violence Against Youth. It was funded by a grant from the California Wellness Foundation.

"It is clear from our survey of young people in San Francisco that they need positive choices during non-school hours to help protect them from becoming another statistic," said Julia Sabori, executive director of the H.O.M.E.Y. Project.

Alamo Foundation Gala Honors Jody Heyman
The Alamo Elementary School Foundation is honoring volunteer Jody Heyman for her dedication to the cause as a member of the foundation's board of directors and for her efforts to raise money for enrichment classes at Alamo.

The foundation's annual fundraiser will not only honor Heyman, it will also feature hundreds of items at a silent auction, live jazz music and a cocktail buffet provided by Angelina's Deli Cafe and Catering on California Street.

The Alamo Foundation event will be held at the Golden Gate Club, located at the Presidio at 1 Fisher Loop, on Friday, April 26, from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $35. For more information, call Alamo at 750-8456.

West Side Residents Tops in Donations
The Parkside District (zip code 94116) and the Richmond District (94121) were two of the top five neighborhoods in San Francisco to contribute to the city's Voluntary Arts Contribution Fund. Rounding out the top five were the Mission, Castro/Noe Valley and Ingleside/West of Twin Peaks neighborhoods.

Last year more than $100,000 was doled out to 32 local arts groups via the fund. The money is raised by property taxpayers who contribute a small portion of their taxes to the fund. Since its inception in 1984, about $1 million has been distributed to various groups.

For more information about the arts contribution fund, call 554-6710.

SFSU Foundation Names Seacliff Resident New Chief of Operations
Seacliff resident Karen V. Clopton begins her new duties as the San Francisco State University Foundation's chief of operations and corporate counsel in April. Clopton's wide range of experience includes her position as overseer of the Port of San Francisco's daily business operations, her four terms of professional service as the president of the San Francisco Civil Service Commission and more than 18 years of experience in employment law.

New duties for the university's foundation will have Clopton working to promote, assist and enhance SFSU's educational mission. The Foundation carries out numerous projects and provides many services to benefit the faculty, staff and students.

Celebrate National Alcohol Screening Day
The National Council on Alcoholism and Other Drug Addictions is offering an anonymous education and screening program as part of National Alcohol Screening Day.

The free screenings will be held on Thursday, April 11 at several locations throughout San Francisco. including the Ocean Park Health Center, located at 1351 24th Ave. For more information, call 296-9900.

Visit the Free Community Health Fair
City College of San Francisco's John Adams Campus and the School of Health and Physical Education host the seventh annual comprehensive Community Health Fair on Tuesday, April 9, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at CCSF's John Adams Campus, located at 1860 Hayes St.

Medical and health-related services will be available at the fair, ranging from anemia testing, blood pressure screenings, mental health referrals, disaster preparedness tips, body fat measurements and much more. Information on a variety of subjects, including acupuncture, drug abuse, cancer and diseases will also be available.

School officials hope the public will take advantage of the free health care services that will be offered as a thanks to surrounding neighborhoods for their support of CCSF's vocational health care and education programs. For more information, call 561-1900.

Got Heat? City agency turns up the heat for tenants
If the temperature drops below 68 degrees your landlord is required by law to have heat in your unit between the hours of 5 a.m. - 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. - 10 p.m.

A city run program will assist you in resolving landlord tenant issues at no charge if needed. The Code Enforcement Outreach Program (CEOP) is a community program overseen by the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection that works with tenant and landlord groups to enforce the city's housing codes.

For example, if your building or unit is without heat, your roof is leaking, the plumbing is bad, you're experiencing electrical problems, or you lack an adequate number of garbage containers, the CEOP can help

The CEOP's is comprised of the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection, Tenderloin Housing Clinic, St. Peters Housing Committee, the Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco, Chinatown Community Development Center and the San Francisco Apartment Association. Each of these organizations will act as a liaison on your behalf to ensure a speedy resolution to your housing issues.

For city residents experiencing any of the above problems or are aware of other code enforcement violations that you have been unable to resolve with your landlord you should immediately contact one of CEOP's community partners. The organization you contact will help you draft a letter to the landlord detailing the problems. A representative of the organization may also pay a personal visit to the landlord or property manager in order to and expedite repairs.

If the problems are not resolved in a timely fashion, the outreach organization will contact the enforcing arm of the program, the Department of Building Inspection (DBI). The department can then cite the landlord, if necessary.

This program is designed to bring about speedy resolution of code violations. With winter here, it is imperative that tenants utilize this free service to ensure that no tenant is without basic necessities, such as heat.

The program is open to all tenants and property owners in San Francisco, including those who are not members of any participating organization. Services are available in Spanish, Cantonese and Mandarin.

Participating partners include:

· Chinatown Community Development Center, 1525 Grant Ave., (415)-984-1450 (Cantonese & Mandarin available);

· Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco, 427 So. Van Ness Ave., (415)-703-8644 (Citywide agency);

· St. Peter's Housing Committee, 474 Valencia St., (415)-487-9203 (Spanish speakers available);

· Tenderloin Housing Clinic, 126 Hyde St., (415)-771-1287 (Vietnamese and Spanish available);

· San Francisco Apartment Association, 333 Hayes St., (415)-255-2288.