Revived in winter 2024, this fundraiser supports a student-led service trip during spring break that partners with nonprofit organizations serving unhoused communities in San Francisco. Under the UC Berkeley Public Service Center—founded in 1967—we are continuing 50+ years of a meaningful service tradition: the Alternative Breaks program, where students spend their breaks in full-time hands-on community service and reflection.

Economic Justice in SF (Details of Trip on Left, and Descriptions Below)

UC Berkeley Alternative Breaks (link to program on left)

Our SF Trip Services

In March 2026, our team of 7–9 UC Berkeley students will live in proximity to and volunteer on-site in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood, a community that has long faced systemic inequities but continues to demonstrate resilience through return to housing through rehabilitation. Over the course of one week, we will collaborate with local nonprofits to provide meal services, clothing distribution, and street cleanups; attend policy panels led by community organizers and analysts; and learn directly from those who have experienced housing insecurity.

Our goal is to support organizations that have spent decades meeting unhoused residents with compassion and practical resources, while also deepening our understanding of the policies that shape life in urban communities. Students return not only with radical empathy through hands-on support, but committed to continuing service long after this trip ends.

Why This Work Matters

Today, 8,000+ residents in San Francisco experience homelessness on any given night, with a 7% increase from 2022. Many are veterans, families, or individuals priced out of housing through mental and physical health struggles. The Tenderloin area is both a symbol of the crisis and a hub for grassroots responses—shelters, food programs, harm reduction services, and advocacy networks that save lives every day.

We believe that supporting these programs means supporting rehabilitation, recovery, and human dignity. During our week of service, we aim to stand alongside those leading the work, learn from their expertise, and help sustain their impact through tangible service and thoughtful reflection.

Our group also studies the broader contexts of homelessness—its links to housing policy, healthcare inequality, and the school-to-prison pipeline, along with more focuses in our carefully designed curriculum. Understanding these root causes allows us to serve with empathy and return as advocates, whether understanding the unhoused experiences and effective methods of support through future pursuits of psychiatry to support mental health struggles, economic justice as policy analysts reshaping and developing new policy, public interest attorneys assisting housing justice cases, social workers, and more.

Your Donations’ Support

Your donations directly support the essential costs of our week of service:

Every contribution helps make this trip possible. Along with other Alternative Break PSC teams, we collectively fundraise through year-round projects such as campus photo booths, bake sales, and personalized crochet projects. This GoFundMe represents a small but vital portion of the total cost that ensures every student—regardless of financial means—can participate fully in this experience. We’ve worked to minimize expenses wherever possible, so every dollar you give goes directly to making community service accessible and sustainable.

Economic Justice Commitment

We know that caring for the unhoused requires both compassion and understanding. As students, we approach this work with humility and the belief that learning from those most affected is essential to creating lasting solutions.

Beyond volunteering, our trip includes structured reflection and education sessions on:

We look to return from this experience better equipped to challenge injustice and to serve our local communities with deeper awareness.

We are deeply grateful for your time and generosity. Whether you donate, share our fundraiser, or simply read about our mission, your support helps sustain a legacy of care that began decades ago at UC Berkeley. Together, we can continue this work of learning, service, and solidarity—building toward a future where everyone has a safe place to call home. Thank you so much for being part of our journey.