What can we do together while we are apart?
Welcome to the UCSF Housing Resources page! We're happy you're here. Take a look around and enjoy!
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Volunteer to help your neighbors!
As a diverse community with people from all over the world, we have some new tenants coming from outside the US and being required to quarantine themselves within their apartment for 14 days. This can be quite a challenge for those quarantining. How would one secure groceries if they cannot leave their apartment? This is where YOU come in. We are looking for some current tenants in our Mission Bay & Tidelands communities to help make sure grocery deliveries make it from the lobby to the tenant in need’s door. Click the click below to sign up!
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Getting Together Virtually
Here are some of the best ways (that aren't zoom) to take your get-togethers virtual this month.
HousepartyHouseparty is a social networking service that enables group video chatting through mobile and desktop apps. This game-friendly app allows you to play virtual party games like "Uno", "Heads Up!" and more. Users receive a notification when friends are online and available to group video chat.
twosevenLooking to virtually snuggle up and watch your favorite movie? twoseven allows you to watch the same media with your friends and family from everywhere. They'll handle the video synchronization while you watch each other's reactions and quote your favorite lines.
Squad app
If you're missing the feeling of leaning over to show your friends a hilarious video on your phone, the Squad app can help. It's meant to re-create the feeling of simply hanging out with your friends with no agenda. You can video chat while sharing your smartphone or tablet screen with your friends.
WhatsApp Video
For those of you used to using whatsapp to communicate with your international friends and families, you're in luck. You can make video calls including up to 8 people using WhatsApp video. You can utilize the sharing feature to showoff a heartfelt photo slideshow for your friends at the same time.
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Assembling Your Thanksgiving Feast
If you're trying to avoid the holiday crowds at local grocery stores, you're not alone! You can safely order your turkey or holiday meal online and have it delivered! Get feast ahead of time and have it sent straight to you from the following stores and services in the Bay Area:
Don't Forget to Send Us Your RecipesWe'd love to disemminate your best Thanksgiving recipes to all of your friends and neighbors through our recipe exchange club! Submit your favorite dishes to housingevents@ucsf.edu.
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Giving Back During COVID-19
While we're reflecting on the things we're thankful for, we're reminded of the importance of giving back. Volunteering on-site is more difficult during a pandemic, but here are some great local organizations directly assisting others that would love your support.
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Family House
Family House serves as a home away from home for families of children with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses by providing physical comfort and emotional support, free from financial concerns.
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Project Open Hand
Project Open Hand's mission is to improve health outcomes and quality of life by providing nutritious meals to the sick and vulnerable, caring for and educating their community.
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Saint Anthony's Foundation
The Saint Anthony's Foundation provides 2,400 meals a day and also provides people in need with clean clothing and addiction recovery services.
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Are You Ready for an Earthquake?Make sure you know the basics of earthquake safety! As we near the anniversay of the 1989 San Francisco-Oakland eathquake, we're reminded of the importance of earthquake preparedness. Whether you've never experienced an earthquake before, or you've experienced quakes countless times, it's always a good idea to review procedures!
View a special virtual presentation on earthquake preparedness at the link below. This pre-recorded zoom training was created by emergency preparedness expert, Jason Heil, of the UCSF Police Department.
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October 11th: National Coming Out Day!National Coming Out Day, celebrated every year on October 11, is the anniversary of the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. The day is meant to celebrate the act of "coming out" -- when an LGBT person decides to publicly share their gender identities or sexual orientation. Human Rights Campaign has a list of helpful resources for living openly and coming out here.
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National Disability Employment Awareness MonthNational Disability Employment Awareness Month celebrates the ingenuity people with disabilities bring to America's workplaces. Each October, NDEAM celebrates America's workers with disabilities and reminds employers of the importance of inclusive hiring practices. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has announced that “Increasing Access and Opportunity” is the 2020 theme for October’s annual observance.
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LGBT History MonthOctober 1 marks the start of LGBT History month, a month dedicated to observing the history and contributions of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender individuals. Throughout this time we aim to recognize progress made by previous gay & civil rights movements.
This annual observance was started in 1994 by Missouri high school teacher, Rodney Wilson. While teaching at Mehlville High School in suburban St. Louis, Wilson came out to his history class during a lesson about the Holocaust, explaining that if he had lived in Germany during World War II, he likely would have been imprisoned and murdered by the Nazis for being gay. You can learn more about LGBT History Month here.
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Breast Cancer AwarenessOther than skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women. Mammograms are the best way to find breast cancer early, when it is easier to treat and before it is big enough to feel or cause symptoms. More information on how to get involved in National Breast Cancer Awareness Month can be found here.
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Celebrate Indigenous PeoplesIndigenous Peoples' Day is a holiday that celebrates and honors Native American peoples and commemorates their histories and cultures. It is celebrated across the United States on the second Monday in October, and is an official city and state holiday in various localities. It began as a counter-celebration held on the same day as the U.S. federal holiday of Columbus Day, which honors Italian explorer Christopher Columbus. Many reject celebrating him, saying that he represents "the violent history of the colonization in the Western Hemisphere", and that Columbus Day is a sanitation or covering-up of Christopher Columbus' actions such as enslaving Native Americans.
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| What's on My Ballot?Once you've made sure you're registered to vote, you can prepare for the decisions you'll make inside the voting booth. Here in San Francisco, not only will we be voting for a president, we'll also be voting on other elected officials and for 12 proposed state laws (also known as "propositions"). You can preview your ballot and read up on the laws being proposed at the link below:
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Safety Basics
New to the area? Make sure you know the basics of staying safe in the city. From personal safety to disaster preparedness, UCSF can help. Check out this comprehensive video resource from Clery Act Coordinator/Crime Analyst & Crime Prevention Specialist, Jason Heil.
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The Goats Are Back
The Mount Sutro Open Space Reserve is welcoming back its special landscape assistants. Goats are brought in to help with fire hazard mitigation and are especially helpful in hard to reach areas as UCSF has banned herbicides in the Reserve.
They'll graze in areas along Christoper Road near buildings and neighbors’ homes to help clear vegetation and maintain defensible space. Fencing will be in place around the areas where the goats are grazing.
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Mount Sutro Open Space Reserve Trails Safe Practices
- Maintain 6ft Physical Distance
- Wear a Mask
- Make Room for Others to Pass
- Wash Your Hands Before & After Your visit
- Avoid Congregating in Rest Areas & Parking Lots
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| Contact-less Donation at GoodwillNo need to wait to clean out your closet. Goodwill is still accepting donations and is using a contact-free system.
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What to do about Unsafe AirAs wildfires burn throughout the Bay Area and the state of California, the air we breathe can become a special health risk. Here's the best way to protect yourself and prepare for unsafe air.
- Stay Inside. As much as possible, try to stay indoors when the air quality is unhealthy.
- Keep doors & windows closed. Try to recirculate indoor air.
- Turn on air filters/purifers. HEPA grade air filters are best.
- Avoid activites that increase indoor air pollution. (As always, you should not burn candles in UCSF housing.) You may also want to avoid vacuuming which can stir up particles in the air.
- Use an N-95 mask if you must go outside. Cloth masks alone will not protect from the pollution.
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Get a Good Night's SleepFollow these tips from the Mayo Clinic to help overcome sleep distruptions and deprivation during COVID-19
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Take in Twin Peaks
Right now is a great time to hike the trail at San Francisco's famous Twin Peaks. Located a stone's throw from UCSF's Aldea San Miguel Housing Community, the trail offers breathtaking 360 degree views of the bay. The hiking trail is family friendly at a length of under a mile. For details, click here.
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Stroll through the City
Getting sick of your walking route or just looking for an excuse to get outside? We have you covered. You can still explore the city safely (with a mask) by foot.
Check out some of the most beautiful walking routes in the city here.
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Take Your Workout Outside
Parklab has partnered with National Fitness Campaign to install and activate a state-of-the-art outdoor gym facility for all ages in the Mission Bay neighborhood. For more details click here.
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Take the StairsSan Francisco boasts some of the most beautiful public parks in the country, but have you explored its array of public stairs?
Create your own active adventure with a visit to one of the many historic & artistic staircases in the city. Find a full list with photos here.
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| UCSF Fitness & Recreation Remote Online Class Schedule
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Financial Wellness
Attend financial wellness webinar on identifying and priortizing your savings goals. Whether your savings goals are big or small, you’ll need a good plan to get there. In partnership with Fidelity, learn effective tips and strategies to help you save for the things that are important to you, like building an emergency fund, paying off student loans, buying a home, saving for retirement, and more. Pre-register here.
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Visit the Japanese Tea GardenSan Francisco is home to the oldest public tea garden in the U.S., and after a brief closure due to shelter-in-place orders, the tea garden is again open to the public (with safety precautions of course). For free admission, stop by between 9AM - 10AM on Wednesday or Friday. For more information about park hours and safety measures, click here.
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Helping Our Community
During this time, San Francisco's most vulnerable populations need extra help & care. If you're healthy and looking for an opportunity to contribute, check out San Francisco's Emergency Volunteer program. From delivering groceries to the elderly to assisting local food pantries, there are so many ways to help.
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| Be a Better Ally
Check out some of these "Anti-Racist" resources ( compiled by NPR), intended to help white people better understand racism and how to effectively support black people.
Anti-racist resources:
Learn what the UCSF campus is doing to respond to structural racism here.
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What is the Pink Triangle?
Find out the story behind Twin Peaks' "Pink Triangle" tradition, and how San Francisco is keeping the tradition alive despite COVID-19. You can read about it all here.
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Exploring Trans RepresentationHonor June Pride Month by learning about transgender representation in media. The new documentary available on Netflix, Disclosure, is a deep dive into the historical dipiction of transgender people on screen and how that damaging depiction has effected the very people it was meant to reflect. With commentary and insight from transgender activists and icons, Disclosure, is an enriching and educational experience. Watch the trailor below:
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A Day to Celebrate and Reflect: June 19Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day and Cel-Liberation Day, is an American holiday celebrated on June 19 to memorialize the emancipation of the last remaining enslaved African Americans in the Confederacy.
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We are all Complicit.As members of the UCSF community, we are all responsible for educating oursevles about the ways in which we contribute to all types of racism and predjudice. Let's commit to being better for each other, and let's commit to working together to support a culture of inclusion. You can find UCSF Office of Diversity & Inclusion educational resources here.
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UCSF COVID-19 "Mythbusters"
Students from UCSF School of Medicine have built their own COVID-19 information site (reviewed by faculty) to share facts & myths we should all know.
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Help Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients
UCSF Medical Students are raising money to buy phone chargers for hospitalized COVID19 patients. Phones are a crucial resource for these patients, who must be isolated from their loved ones -- meaning that phones are their only method of communication between them and the outside world.
You can donate your phone chargers at Tidelands (look for the box near the entrance) or donate to their GoFundMe page here.
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Running Out of Stuff to Watch?
As shelter-in-place continues, we’re all a little more desperate for at-home entertainment. By now, we known you’ve likely binged all of your regular favorites and finally gotten around to watching that movie that you’ve been meaning to see for the last 3 years. If you’ve exhausted the supply of interesting shows on your favorite streaming services, here’s a helpful list of streaming services currently offering free trials.
Hulu
New users can get a 30-day free ad-free trial.
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Scholastic is offering day-by-day projects to keep kids reading, thinking, and growing on its classroom magazine site here. Projects, articles, videos, and activities are broken out by age group and available for kids in PreK through 9th grade.
For little ones (ages 0-6), the early childhood education blog, “ Circletime,” features on-demand videos you and the kids can watch together. There are loads of activities available. If you’re looking for help with your high schooler, look no further than Khan Academy online. Khan Academy is a nonprofit offering daily schedules that you can use as templates to get through the week. Access it all here.
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| Hidden Worlds of US National Parks
While our public parks and outdoor spaces are closed, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the majesty of America’s iconic National Parks. Explore the trails of Yosemite’s Glacier Point, travel though the lava tubes of Hawaii’s largest volcanos, or watch a Yellowstone geyser erupt all in stunning high definition. The virtual tours of our national parks allow unprecedented access to areas we may not have dared travel in person.
Tour Alaska's Kenai Fjords, Hawaiian volcanoes, caverns of Carlsbad, Utah's Brice Canyon, and Florida's Dry Tortugas here.
Tour Yellowstone National Park here.
Tour Yosemite National Park here.
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Watch Live Animals!
Polar bears, penguins, and pandas—oh my! Get a live look at animals of the famous San Diego Zoo via live cam. You can watch the baboons saunter through their habitat in real time or catch a glimpse of their newest baby ape. For our hibernating friends, you can watch pre-recorded footage. Access the zoo here.
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| Space Out
While the current COVID-19 situation has us spending more time at home, there’s no reason we can’t explore! Take a trip to a place that’s only accessible by rocket. Using images collected from the Curiosity Rover, you can roam all over the surface of Mars. Use this link to blast off!
When you’re done sightseeing on Mars, you can come back down to earth for a tour of NASA’s Langley Research Center. This interactive tour will give you an inside look at a flight simulator, subsonic wind tunnel, vacuum sphere’s more.
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Get Crafty With Your Kids
Running out of creative ideas for the kids? Don’t despair. Find inspiration from the best crafting Instagram accounts and crafting blogs available. These collections include crafts for all ages and skill levels.
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The Broadway Experience
Playbill has put together a full list of classic Broadway shows like Rent, Cats, Newsies, and more that you can watch or stream online. If you’ve ever wanted to see these famous shows, this is a great opportunity to see recorded performances with the original casts. For details visit playbill.com.
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| Managing Stress
Remember that there are resources for you.
Student Health: 415-476-1281, SHS@ucsf.edu
Faculty & Staff Assistance Program: 415-476-8279
National Alliance on Mental Illness: text 741741
And if you can, reach out to friends and family.
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Housing Services staff sending good vibes
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