San Francisco Probation Department’s New Van hits the Streets

About a month after the San Francisco probation department announced it was launching a mobile unit to serve people on probation who struggle with homelessness, the van’s wheels are spinning, and it is making stops across the city.

The van — also called Mobile Community Assessment Service Center — was stationed in the Mission District near the 24th Street and 16th Street Mission BART plazas on Wednesday and Thursday this week.

Several people were curious about its presence and asked what the van was for, while others just glanced at it, and a few walked by without answering greetings from the probation staff.

One middle-aged man asked if the staff had any food. They told him they didn’t, but that he could stop by their building at 564 Sixth St., where the department provides breakfast and lunch, so the man took a photo of their flyer before leaving. 

Others asked for housing and job opportunities, and were also directed to the Sixth Street center. However, over several hours, Mission Local did not observe anyone on probation approach the van.

Parked near the plazas, probation staff set up a table and chairs on the sidewalk in front of the blue and grey van. Between four and six staff members stood near the van on the two days, greeting people and telling them they’re with the probation department and want to meet with people in the community.

The mobile unit aims to reach people experiencing homelessness or other economic hardships, expanding the services the probation department offers at its physical reentry center, including transitional housing resources, education programs, therapy, job opportunities and more. 

At the BART plazas, probation staff explained the van’s function to passersby and encouraged them to spread the word about it. They gave out drawstring bags with hygiene kits that contained cleaning products to a few people who appeared to be unhoused.

Christina Balistreri, a supervisor who was out with the van on Wednesday, said that when she was a probation officer, she used to park and sit in her car for a few hours, telling people on probation they could come and check in with her.

“But that was just something I did on my own, and now we have this, which is great because it’s more visible,” she said. “There’s more things you can do.”

The van is equipped with outlets to charge phones, a laptop people can use on-site to check their emails, and a printer, so probation staff can print documents for them if needed.

“It’s only our second day, so I think a lot of this is really providing information to members of the community,” said Alea Brown-Hoffmeister, director of policy and legislation at the probation department. “We’re going to see more people as they learn more about what’s going on and the fact that we’re out here.”

Brown-Hoffmeister said the van will be out and about in different neighborhoods up to three times a week. The Mission, the Tenderloin and Bayview-Hunters Point are among the areas where the van will be. Times and locations will be regularly updated online.