The Tenderloin Voice is live!

We are very excited and proud to announce that the Tenderloin Voice website is now live, and that layout and printing of the first zine edition is in motion. 

This newsroom is the product of many months of building relationships with Tenderloin community members, learning about what stories they’re interested in, how we should prioritize content by in-house journalists (us) versus neighbor contributors, and what kinds of information that aren’t traditionally considered “news” are important to this audience. It has been a joy and a privilege to get to know people who live and work here, and to figure out ways to incorporate their invaluable feedback into our plan of action. 

We’re so pleased that more than half of our first batch of content was produced by community members, including Jesse James Johnson, Paula Hendricks, Monteque Pope-Le Beau, David Elliot Lewis, and Judethan, a 13-year-old in a youth writing program at the Tenderloin location of local nonprofit 826 Valencia. 

You can expect stories in the Tenderloin Voice to be accurate and fair, but also personal and nuanced, written from the heart. We want to make sure the full Tenderloin, in all its complexity, is seen and heard. 

Of course, this is a starting point, not a finish line. We have big dreams for 2026 and are seeking bold investors to lead the way in helping this newsroom serve the community. One of our top priorities is offering content in multiple languages, because the Tenderloin is incredibly diverse. We’re also planning more listening sessions and interested in developing innovative formats. We are trying to grow our budget so that we can pay community contributors more competitive rates than the modest stipends we can offer now. And we need to cover rent for our workspace, which keeps us rooted in the neighborhood. Our biggest goal is for this project to begin providing salaries for the three of us — currently, our work here is only possible with side jobs. Are you interested in funding our vision? Or maybe you can connect us with someone who might be? If you want to uplift and empower the Tenderloin, we want to talk with you and share more about this work, and how and why we’re doing it.

That being said, we think that small-donor support is what will ultimately get us to sustainability. Donations of any size are most welcome and will help us pursue these big goals. You can also help by following the Tenderloin Voice on your social media platform of choice, signing up to receive new stories by email, and — this one is especially helpful — spreading the word about us with colleagues, friends, and family.

The three of us are obviously bursting with excitement about launching the Voice, but one particularly gratifying aspect of the work has been the outpouring of generosity and enthusiasm from the Tenderloin community — even before we had so much as a name for the publication. A huge thank you to everyone who has contributed their writing, spent time with us, made a donation, introduced us to new people, or offered up words of encouragement.

With appreciation,

Laura, Noah, and Daphne