Home » City Guide » , ,

New Free COVID-19 Testing Site in SF’s Mission

Free walk-thru testing site every Thursday for almost anyone. No insurance or ID required.
By - posted 7/9/2020 No Comment

Mayor London Breed Announces New Mobile Testing Site in the Mission and Right to Recover Program to Provide Financial Support for Residents Who Test Positive for COVID-19

Thursday, July 9, 2020

Testing site will operate on Thursdays from 10:00am – 3:00pm in coordination with services provided at the Latino Task Force Resource Hub. Right to Recover program is part of wraparound services provided by the City and community partners.

Mayor London N. Breed today announced the launch of a new mobile COVID-19 testing site at the Latino Task Force (LTF) Resource Hub in the Mission. The LTF Resource Hub connects residents with wraparound services, including the new Right to Recover program.

Read the Mayor’s Press Release

Co-locating this testing site with existing resources provides a low-barrier, accessible testing site the Latino community and members of the Mission community who are regularly visiting the LTF Resource Hub for other services.

Latino Task Force Resource HUB – Mobile Testing Site

Free walk-through testing in the Mission. You can drop in.

  • 701 Alabama at 19th St.
  • Thursdays only, 10 am to 3 pm
  • No insurance needed. No ID needed.

The City’s Right to Recover program encourages residents to get tested for COVID-19 while offering a safety net for people that face financial hardship if they need to isolate following a positive test result.

Testing Locations: Find out where you can get tested in San Francisco | List | Map

COVID-19 has disproportionately affected communities of color in San Francisco, California, and across the United States. In San Francisco, Latinos make up 50% of reported cases of COVID-19 even though Latinos make up just 15% of the city’s population. Many Latino, immigrant, African American, Asian, and low-income communities in San Francisco are further disadvantaged by the fact that they do not qualify for the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, unemployment insurance, or loan programs because of their immigration status.

Prior to the global outbreak of COVID-19, rates of chronic illness, poor housing conditions, and low wages were already concentrated in these groups and the virus has disproportionately impacted these communities as well.

Testing Site

There are currently four other testing sites in the Mission, including Castro Mission Health Center and Mission Neighborhood Health Center. By linking testing with existing resources and trusted community partners, this new mobile site further expands the City’s testing outreach and education to the Mission community. The Mission currently has a high rate of positive cases among those who have been tested, with 107.6 positive cases per 10,000 residents. To date, there are 642 positive cases among an estimated 59,639 residents in the Mission neighborhood.

The new mobile testing site is the latest resource expansion at the LTF Resource Hub, and will provide free walk-thru testing on Thursdays. Testing is available for anyone who is leaving home to work, thinks they may have been exposed, or is experiencing at least one symptom on COVID-19. Insurance and identification are not required. The site began operating today and will operate on Thursdays from 10:00am to 3:00pm. People with appointments and drop-ins will be checked in by LTF Resource Hub staff and escorted to the testing tent designated for specimen collection.

DPH will administer the tests, providing tests results by phone, and conducting contact tracing and offering social services if test results are positive. Contact tracing is an essential component of follow up for positive test results, and participants will be informed about the importance of working with contact tracers to slow the spread of the virus.

Latino Task Force Resource Hub

The Latino Task Force Resource Hub has been operating over the past few months and provides food distribution and other services. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, the center distributes food, and serves approximately 6,000 families per week.

On Wednesday and Thursdays from 10:00am to 4:00pm, the LTF Resource Hub provides services including:

  • Connecting people with income relief programs,
  • Helping people file for unemployment,
  • Helping people find employment,
  • Assisting people sign up for health care,
  • Assistance applying for affordable housing.

Right to Recover Program

The City’s $2 million “Right to Recover” program works hand-in-hand with COVID-19 testing sites across the City. It provides those who qualify with a wage replacement while they recover. Based on San Francisco minimum wage, a two-week wage replacement amounts to $1,285. The program’s financial support will serve up to 1,500 San Franciscans who test positive for COVID-19 to focus on their health and recovery regardless of their immigration status.

The purpose of Right to Recover and the City’s other relief programs, including the Family Relief Fund and the Immigrant Workers Fund program, is to fill the gaps of federal funding by putting money in the hands of the people that need it the most. The goal is to encourage residents and workers to get tested for COVID-19 and not worry about economic hardship during isolation. The programs aim to remove barriers to allow access to relief for those who may not trust government programs due to their immigration status and experience in the criminal justice system.

Under the Right to Recover program, when a person tests positive for COVID-19, the Department of Public Health (DPH) conducts an interview with that person. During the interview, DPH will ask if they have access to replacement wages while they isolate. If not, they will connect the individual to the Right to Recover program. The City will not ask or record any questions about citizenship or immigration status. In addition to this relief program, DPH will also share other wraparound services to support residents around food security, housing assistance, and workforce services.

The Right to Recover program is designed to ensure that those who qualify also receive a comprehensive and culturally competent assessment of their ability to isolate and properly self-care by community partners. This program is made possible by community partners including the Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA), Young Community Developers (YCD), Central City Hospitality House, and Self-Help for the Elderly in collaboration with the Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD), DPH, and the Human Rights Commission.

The City’s relief programs are made possible from the Give2SF COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund. In March, Mayor Breed announced three priority areas for the Give2SF Fund: food security, access to housing, and support for workers and small businesses, with a focus on assisting undocumented people and mixed-status households who otherwise may not have access to social safety net programs; seniors and people with disabilities; and small businesses. To donate to Give2SF, go to www.Give2SF.org.

For more information on the Right to Recover program, call the Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD) Workforce Hotline at (415) 701-4817 where representatives are available 7 days a week to answers calls in multiple language, or email workforce.connection@sfgov.org. In the meantime, people can also check oewd.org/covid19/workers to learn more or call 311.

For more information about the operations of the mobile COVID-19 testing site at the Latino Task Force Hub, visit sf.gov/GetTestedSF.