There is a bypass for getting SSI without actual proof of residency: a letter from the Coalition on Homelessness written by Friedenbach. ‘Then the GA [General Assistance] program doesn’t even question it. Her letter is like a grantee loan certification from the program. ‘ — Former colleague of Coalition on Homelessness founder Jennifer Friedenbach gaming the residency system
Anyone who followed my nearly two decades as editor in chief of the Marina Times newspaper knows I’ve been a vocal critic of Jennifer Friedenbach, well, for nearly two decades. I’ve referred to Friedenbach as “CEO of the city’s de facto homeless marketing agency,” spending their money on Sharpies and cardboard to make the handwritten signs they hold up at City Hall protests. Last August, Friedenbach and former District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston stood on the steps of City Hall giggling together with a group of people who feel the same way as they do. One attendee held up a sign reading, “Downtown is for Drug Users.” In a disturbing twist, the event came after the group Mothers Against Drug Deaths and Addiction held a morning vigil for the thousands of friends, sons, daughters, brothers, and sisters lost to opioid overdoses.
So what is Friedenbach’s motivation if not to help the homeless get off the streets? In 2023, I wrote an article for the Marina Times about the possible reasons — mostly ideological, but also financial. One of her former colleagues, who asked to remain anonymous (we’ll refer to him as “Carl”) for fear of retribution (“Jennifer is known to be vindictive”), saw that article and reached out with some observations about Friedenbach’s ascension, which he witnessed firsthand in the early days of his three decades helping the homeless. In fact, he helped give Friedenbach her start…