HF Voices: Tonya Allen, Hamilton Families | Shelter Operations Manager

A bright and messy mural runs across the wall of the offices at the Hamilton Families homeless shelter on Golden Gate Avenue. Children painted it, unsteady brushstrokes and all; an image of the street outside.

Now most of it is hidden behind brown cardboard boxes and black trash bags full of masks, hand sanitizer and cleaning supplies. These are Tonya Allen’s pandemic stockpiles. When the pandemic first hit San Francisco and raced through city shelters, Allen did everything she could. She put up hand-washing stations, offered masks to the guests, closed common areas. She also bought supplies and food for her employees — she knew they’d be working long hours and might not get off in time to grab toilet paper or eggs. She packed little snack bags, too.

“Essential is essential,” she says. “We can’t close, because if we close, our families go back out on the street.”

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Tonya Allen is the Operations Manager for Hamilton Families | Shelter, one of the largest Shelter programs for families experiencing homelessness in San Francisco. Visit hamiltonfamilies.org/shelter.