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Oasis For Girls is located in San Francisco's South of Market (SoMa) community and the majority of the girls we serve live here (31%). The neighborhood is adjacent to SF's financial district and is bound by Market Street and the Civic Center and Tenderloin neighborhood (14% of our girls are from the Tenderloin) to the north, the waterfront to the east, and the Mission District (13% of our girls from the Mission District) to the south and west. The South of Market (SoMa) is a diverse community not typically thought of as a residential neighborhood. However, the area is home to many of the City's low-income, immigrant families, who work in the service industry that the neighborhood has been a center for since it was first settled in the late 1840's.

SoMa has been at the center of the City's high-tech industry and economic boom in the past six years, reflected through the luxury "live/work" condominiums that have been erected on almost every block. The contradiction between the district's prosperous redevelopment and the unmet basic need of a safe, supportive environment for its immigrant and lower income residents could hardly be more extreme.

This disparity is most devastating for the children and youth in our community who do not have the opportunity to vote for their interests, and the interests of their families. These young people are intelligent, creative, compassionate, and amazing individuals with a great deal of potential. However, they are also faced with many challenges.