When TNDC Community Organizer and Outreach Coordinator, Siu Han Cheung, and her husband landed in San Francisco 27 years ago, they had no friends, family, or support system. The year was 1997, and the couple's business in Hong Kong could not survive the transition of power to mainland China, forcing them to make a life elsewhere. Like many, the undocumented pair started out in a small single room occupancy dwelling in the Tenderloin. But when the money ran out, they found themselves unhoused.
“Why do people always look down on homeless people?” Cheung asks. “Have you ever thought that people are left on the street because they cannot afford San Francisco’s expensive rents? In my experience, no one wants to be homeless."
Facing the dangers of the streets and worsening mental health, the couple sought refuge in a church near Golden Gate Park where they slept. The Asian congregation welcomed them and found the couple temporary housing in an in-law unit and connected them to North East Medical Services. Their baby girl was born the same year, and hope blossomed for the family.
“If no one had pulled my hand that year, there would be no ‘todays’ for me,” she shared. “If you have the ability, please be positive, pull people up, like others did for me. Help them stand up again, help them update themselves, and let them be new! When faced with my dreams, goals, or careers with a long-term perspective and timeline, the resulting patience has caused me to no longer have foolish thoughts.”
Today, the mother of four has been with TNDC for over 15 years and is instrumental in engaging the Tenderloin and advocating for projects and policies that protect TNDC’s vulnerable residents. Of the programs she has facilitated, she said that founding and advising the Tenderloin Chinese Rights Association alongside resident Connie May (who passed in 2023) has been one of the most fulfilling.
“You will hear community from the mouths of politicians, officials, and other people with microphones in their hands. They speak of the community and how important it is to listen to, consult with, or hear the voice of this strange collective thing. You will never hear someone in this context say that community is a thing that can be ignored or should be feared. And you will rarely hear people say what they mean by community.”
Siu is a TNDC VOICE. She advocates on the steps of City Hall and in Sacramento for vital food programs for low-income people. She co-leads voter registration engagement efforts. She is present at many community events to translate for Chinese speakers. She is TNDC’s cultural ambassador for Chinese speakers and Asian and Asian Americans, a large demographic among TNDC residents.
In addition to her work at TNDC, she can be found lending a hand in the Tenderloin as a board member of North East Medical Services and as a board member of the Heart of the City Farmers Market.
“When I wake up and get out of bed, the soles of my feet dance as they touch the floor. I am exuberantly happy, bearing the weight of my body,” she said. “Perhaps you are experiencing the unexpected, struggling, uneasy, and embarrassing life. Please embrace it as much as you can, because this may be the Big Dipper that guides you forward! It is your responsibility to carefully dig in the starry sky.”
