The Take

SF street cleanup supervisor beautifies blocks, gives homeless hope

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Seeing Downtown Streets Team supervisor Darryl Cage talk with homeless and pick up rubbish on city streets is a common sight most mornings.
Video: Liz Hafalia

Downtown Streets Team supervisor Darryl Cage, 50, can often be seen speaking with San Francisco’s homeless and removing rubbish most mornings. Cage gets to know people and their needs while leading teams in Union Square, the Tenderloin and Civic Center.

In doing homeless and at-risk outreach, he introduces new members to the program. Workers in the program beautify the city in exchange for employment, housing and basic supplies. Since the San Francisco office opened two years ago, the organization’s teams of homeless clients have picked up about 1.27 million pounds of debris and more than 36,000 syringes from city streets.

Cage finds deep satisfaction in seeing team members flourish against great odds in a city where housing is difficult to afford. Cage has lived in the Bay Area all his life. He was homeless for a brief time, living in his truck after a sudden divorce. He recovered through programs in Oakland and is grateful for their help.

Cage eventually moved to San Francisco, joined the Downtown Streets Team shortly after it started, and has been helping the needy since.

The Regulars is a photo and video column that offers a glimpse into the lives of ordinary people in the Bay Area, caught in routine activities of modern urban life.