Stories

Every aspect of Urban Alchemy’s work circles back to people. Our Practitioners carry forward our mission to transform people and places for the better, and our guests are the reason we come to work every day. Our goal for our guests is to help as many people as possible transition into permanent housing, and to give them safe, welcoming places to find shelter until they do. Our goal for our Practitioners is to provide meaningful, well-paid work that helps returning citizens integrate into their communities and reduces recidivism rates.

These are the stories of our Practitioners and guests.

Practitioner Story

Michael Duque

Michael Duque is a deeply dedicated member of the East Austin community. Born and raised in the neighborhood, he’s dedicated his adult life to uplifting the community and helping prevent at-risk young people from making mistakes they’ll live to regret.

Meet Michael

Guest Story

Michael Wilson

Michael Wilson, a guest at the Oasis in the Tenderloin, has been deeply impacted by the work of Urban Alchemy. He believes that Urban Alchemy is making a difference in the community by providing job opportunities to people who may have previously faced barriers to employment.

Meet Michael

Guest Story

Sharon

As we reflect on 2023, the stories of individuals like Sharon underscore the transformative impact of Urban Alchemy. Sharon’s journey to Urban Alchemy Tiny Home Village began with a referral from San Francisco’s Homeless Outreach Team, […]

Meet Sharon

Practitioner Story

Peter Diggs

Peter Diggs’ story is one of personal transformation and perseverance. As the supervisor for Urban Alchemy at 129 Hyde in San Francisco, Peter has overcome significant obstacles to create a new life for himself. After recently […]

Meet Peter

Practitioner Story

Randy Solaris

Randy Solaris had been a practitioner at Urban Alchemy for eight months, and he was already making a big impact in the community. He worked in the Tenderloin district, where he knew that his presence could […]

Meet Randy

Practitioner Story

Kent Garbaril

Kent Garbarirl has been working for Urban Alchemy on Mid-Market for the past six months, and he says he loves every minute of it. After years of struggling with addiction and homelessness, he says working for […]

Meet Kent

Guest Story

Jamie Plummer

Jamie Plummer had been struggling with homelessness for years before coming to Urban Alchemy’s Tiny Home Village in San Francisco. Jamie had been kicked out of other shelters and felt rejection and hostility from many of […]

Meet Jamie

Business Owner Story

Eman Diab

Eman is the owner of a café in the Tenderloin named Hot Spot. She has owned the café for 10 years and when UA came into the neighborhood, they made a tremendous difference. Practitioners have cleaned […]

Meet Eman

Guest Story

Delcia Carter

Delcia Carter’s experience at Urban Alchemy’s 711 Post shelter has been a life-changing one. She has been homeless for years and had lost all hope of finding a stable home until she came across Urban Alchemy. […]

Meet Delcia

Guest Story

Brandi Ghimenti

Brandi Ghementi had been homeless for over a year when she first heard about the tiny homes on 33 Gough. She had stayed in other homeless shelters before, but none of them had really made a difference in her life. But something about Urban Alchemy's approach to housing and support services caught her attention. She decided to give it a try and applied for a spot at the tiny homes.

Meet Brandi

Practitioner Story

Anthony Bustos

Anthony Bustos started as a Practitioner for the Urban Alchemy clean team, but over the past five years, he has worked his way up to become a director for the BART program. He takes pride in […]

Meet Anthony

Practitioner Story

Lino Ramos

Lino Ramos had been in prison for as long as he could remember. He was sent there when he was just a teenager and had never experienced the outside world since then. But one day, after […]

Meet Lino