San Francisco Department of Public Health: I Am Living Proof
About the project
A street-level outreach campaign for the San Francisco Department of Public Health promoting the Behavioral Health Access Line—California's first free and confidential hotline offering mental health counseling, substance use disorder support, and Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) prescriptions. The campaign centered on lived experience storytelling and direct community engagement to reach individuals struggling with addiction in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood.
www.asics.com/jyuni
The Challenge
Despite critical need for addiction recovery resources in underserved neighborhoods like the Tenderloin, reaching individuals struggling with substance use disorders remained difficult. Stigma around addiction prevents many from seeking help, and the target audience—particularly unhoused individuals and those facing active addiction—rarely engages with traditional media channels. The challenge was making life-saving information accessible and relatable to the city's most vulnerable populations while overcoming deeply rooted stigma, particularly within the African American male community experiencing disproportionate rates of opioid and overdose-related deaths.
The Approach
The strategy combined authentic storytelling with boots-on-the-ground community engagement. The "I Am Living Proof" campaign featured nine community members with lived experiences of addiction and recovery as spokespeople. Their stories ran across multiple channels including billboards, bus shelters, YouTube, and Meta, establishing credibility and relatability.
The campaign prioritized partnerships with trusted community organizations—including Urban Alchemy, the Healing Well, and the YMCA of Bayview—to ensure messaging resonated with the target population. Rather than relying solely on traditional advertising, the approach emphasized meeting people where they are through direct street outreach.
Guided by Urban Alchemy's street practitioners over two days, the team conducted one-on-one conversations throughout the Tenderloin, Civic Center, and Mid-Market areas. These weren't transactional interactions but genuine conversations introducing the campaign, educating individuals about the Behavioral Health Access Line, and connecting them with free recovery and detox resources. Practical items—hand sanitizers, combs, and flyers with hotline information—were distributed to create tangible touchpoints that individuals could keep and reference later.
The Impact
The campaign successfully reached San Francisco's most vulnerable populations through authentic engagement and strategic partnerships.
Direct Outreach Results:
600+ items distributed (hand sanitizers, combs, informational flyers)
50+ individuals engaged through one-on-one conversations over two days
Coverage across Tenderloin, Civic Center, and Mid-Market neighborhoods
Partnerships with three community-based organizations
Qualitative Impact:
Early feedback indicated the information was "life-changing" for individuals who received it
Many expressed gratitude for the direct connection to SFDPH resources
Urban Alchemy community liaisons confirmed ongoing benefit to highest-risk populations
Reduced stigma through peer-led storytelling and trusted community presence
Systemic Significance:
Promoted California's first-of-its-kind Behavioral Health Access Line
Established model for reaching populations typically excluded from traditional health campaigns
Built trust between public health services and communities most impacted by substance use disorders
The campaign demonstrated that effective public health outreach requires meeting people in their environment with dignity, practical support, and authentic connection—not just messaging.
