Creating an Urban Sanctuary for Safety and Health
Thank you to everyone who joined us on December 18, 2025 for the live recording of podcast episode 52 with Lydia Bransten! The episode will be released on our podcast mid-January. In the meantime, please explore our array of episodes. Find our podcast by searching for “At Home, On Air” on your preferred platform.
“It’s a story about finding the commonality in community.”
— Lydia Bransten
Thank You to Our Guest:
Lydia Bransten | Executive Director, The Gubbio Project
Thank You to Our Podcast Host:
Susanne Stadler | Executive Director of At Home With Growing Older
Episode Description:
Join us for a conversation with Lydia Bransten, Executive Director of The Gubbio Project, a pioneering daytime shelter housed in St. John the Evangelist Church in San Francisco’s Mission District. Since its founding, Gubbio has offered a radical form of sanctuary: A safe place for unhoused neighbors to rest during the day, no questions asked.
In this episode, we explore how Lydia’s background in arts and theater informs her approach to building community and creating dynamic, engaging environments for healing. We discuss the origins of the Gubbio Project and its namesake—the Italian town where St. Francis famously found mutual understanding with a wolf by bringing it into the community rather than treating it as a monster.
Lydia shares powerful insights about destigmatizing visible poverty, the crucial role of low-barrier spaces in our public health infrastructure, and what happens when housed and unhoused neighbors come together in shared spaces. We examine why sanctuary matters, how the church’s mission aligns with harm reduction principles, and why expensive “solutions” like increased policing often fail to address the root issues.
From recaptured food programs to partnerships with the Department of Public Health, The Gubbio Project demonstrates what’s possible when we choose community care over criminalization. This conversation challenges us to rethink our relationship to public space, safety, and what it means to truly welcome our most vulnerable neighbors into the fold.
About Our Guest:
Lydia Bransten has dedicated her career to building community-centered solutions for San Francisco’s most vulnerable populations. As Executive Director of The Gubbio Project for nearly five years, she brings extensive nonprofit experience, including years of work with St. Anthony’s Foundation. A skilled community organizer committed to harm reduction principles and trauma-informed systems, Lydia’s work challenges conventional approaches to homelessness and public health. Her advocacy has gained national attention, including an LA Times 2022 feature highlighting her efforts to expand safe consumption sites in California. Through her leadership at Gubbio, Lydia continues to demonstrate how radical sanctuary and low-barrier care can transform lives—and communities.
About the Podcast:
At Home, On Air is a radio hour offering connection, community and knowledge to participants. At Home With Growing Older proudly hosts this podcast covering a wide array of topics with guest speakers, who share insights and tips about aging at home. This season, we are exploring the theme, People and Places That Build Community: Creating a Home Away From Home. Find our podcast by searching for “At Home, On Air” on your preferred platform.
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Takeaway Resources
Our additional takeaways on this topic will be shared mid-January alongside the episode release.