Mayor of the Tenderloin: Del Seymour's Journey from Living on the Streets to Fighting Homelessness in San Francisco

by Alison Owings

The unforgettable account of Del Seymour, who overcame 18 years of homelessness and addiction to become one of the most respected advocates in San Francisco

In Mayor of the Tenderloin, journalist Alison Owings slips behind the cold statistics and sensationalism surrounding San Francisco’s Tenderloin to reveal a harrowing and life-affirming account of Del Seymour—whose addiction led him into eighteen years of homelessness, pimping, and drug dealing. Once sober, he started Tenderloin Walking Tours and later Code Tenderloin, the remarkable organization teaching homeless, recovering addicts, sex workers, dealers, ex-felons, and other marginalized people how to get and keep a job.

Owings traces Del’s story and those in his orbit: from his daughters, sobriety buddy, and ex-girlfriend, to a police captain and a psychiatric social worker, housing activists and corporate philanthropists, and Del’s Code Tenderloin students. In the Tenderloin, in a city known for its beauty and currently infamous for its divide between haves and have-nots, Owings highlights how Del gives back to people struggling with the same daunting setbacks—including a criminal record—he once faced.

Honest and compelling, Mayor of the Tenderloin follows homelessness in one of America’s toughest neighborhoods as it was lived—in the words of someone who lived it and is now fighting to solve it.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Social Work, Biography Memoir, History

272 pages, Hardcover

Published September 10, 2024

Reviews

[Zoë · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written, true to her subject, conclusive, but tediously long to listen to. Read with empathy, slowly, so the book takes so long to finish. However, I appreciated learning what incredible success the SF programs have had in solving this enormous epidemic/problem/concern ... I'm not sure how the author and Del Seymour would like to describe it. More cities should adopt their strategies, programs and methods. What was most amazing was the buy-in by local (and national) businesses which supported the efforts.

[Carole Stivers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just last week, I watched from my car as a shaggy young man and his female dealer performed the sleight-of-hand that transformed a fistful of money into a small packet of drugs. The young man ambled off down Turk Street in San Francisco’s Tenderloin, no doubt homing toward a safe place to use. But, his body doubled over in the classic fentanyl fold, he struggled to see ahead of him, or even to walk. The street was not deserted. There were plenty of observers to the small tragedy playing out in our midst. But no one offered help.

I found MAYOR OF THE TENDERLOIN a difficult book to read, not because it’s poorly written or because its content is in any way boring - in fact, it's riveting. But it’s difficult, because it offers up the truth in all its bald complexity. In telling the story of the Tenderloin through the eyes of one of its most illustrious inhabitants, seasoned journalist Alison Owings skillfully presents the case of the continuing public health crisis playing out in cities across the U.S.

This book is a “must read” for anyone concerned about homelessness, whose root causes range from drug use to mental illness, abuse to neglect, lack of a paycheck to simply the lack of safe, affordable housing. Together, Owings (whose voice is notably absent after her short preface) and Mr. Seymour leave us to wrestle with an array of possible solutions and with a hankering to find more. They also leave us with the sure knowledge that whatever we’re doing now, it’s not enough.

[Mary Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of The Mayor of the Tenderloin, by Alison Owings:

The Tenderloin is a neighborhood in San Francisco; it ranks #3959 in "Best Places to Live in America" according to Wikipedia. It has a population of the neglected, the rejected, the infected and the suspected. It is also the place of uncommon compassion and resourcefulness.

Alison Owings follows Del Seymour from the bottom of the pit to the founding of Code Tenderloin, the organization that teaches the marginalized how to find a job and keep it.

Read it. You will better understand the homeless and addicted and yourself.

Mayor of the Tenderloin: Del Seymour's Journey from Living on the Streets to Fighting Homelessness in San Francisco

Alison Owings

[STEVE H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mayor of the Tenderloin is a remarkable book with a fascinating story which is remarkably written.
It is a complicated story about the life lived by Del Seymour, following him from the depths of barely surviving on the streets with homelessness and substance abuse to his becoming a leading exponent of how an individual can overcome these issues in one’s life. Basically, it is a story of redemption. It is a complicated story with many characters, but Owings writes so that it can be followed and understood.
While the story reveals the realities of Mr. Seymour’s life, it also is full of ideas and activities that could be translated into initiatives by folks working with the unhoused in other communities. As Owings says, “I would hope this book provides many lessons learned that can benefit those working to end homelessness.” It would be a very valuable read for those people.

Steve H Perdue

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do not shortchange this book! Not only do you get a very intimate portrait of Del Seymour but also a look at the ridiculous hoops and hurdles the economically disadvantaged must manage. And yes, as the book illustrates, many of these people are unable to take care of themselves due to mental health, physical health, or drug abuse issues. I appreciated that both Del and the author emphasized that just providing a house wouldn't solve the problem. As for Del's rollercoaster of a life, I wonder if some of the stories are more fishing tails, but that does not detract from the message of the book and his life. I think anyone that reads this book will have their feelings about the homeless changed.

[Susan Roether · Rating 5 out of 5]

Del Seymour emerges from these pages as a unique and charismatic character. His journey touches bottom and blossoms into a courageous search for redemption. As a homeless man, he works to create a genuine community with his fellow inhabitants of the Tenderloin district in San Francisco to inspire his neighbors to improve their chances for jobs, security and freedom from addiction. Owings' probing interviews with Del and others who worked with him, provide the context for this wide-ranging look at his family history, the street subculture and the vivid inhabitants of his San Francisco milieu. A lively, insightful look at San Francisco's on-going struggle with homelessness and addiction.

[Carol M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mayor of the Tenderloin is the engrossing account of the many successes and failures of Del Seymour who battled drug addiction throughout most of his life. To piece together his life story required several years of conversations with Del, his family, and associates. His eventual recovery after experiencing life in the Tenderloin let to a program based there that has helped any number of recovering addicts acquire the skills needed to get jobs and become self-sufficient. His program is a model that other cities should examine as part of their efforts to combat drugs and homelessness.

[Judi Sachs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alison Owings is an amazing observer of the human situation, she listens and learns and shares with us the readers. This book brings Del Seymour and the journeys of people living on the streets in San Francisco (and any city, actually) to life in a gripping way. You learn about Del and his challenges and the way he has moved to find solutions to this painful life issue. Read it, it's inspiring.

[Daniyal Ahmad Khan]

i think a lifelong education is incomplete without at least some engagement with the local communities of every city you've lived in

however, i also feel like i've spent an inordinate amount of time this year on books that i am not too excited to read. there are too many good book i do want to read to spend much effort on good books that i don't necessarily enjoy as much

[Merle Kahree · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you enjoy stories about redemption you'll love this. Alison Owings provides the remarkable story of Del Seymour's often difficult life to come out a hero to many.
And if you get a chance to hear them speak.. don't miss it.
Alison is a fabulous writer and I also recommend her other books.

[Oliver Dimitri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this book for class. Found a non fiction medium I don’t enjoy but I did pull through and finished it for class purposes. The book was insightful with the experience of being homeless and getting to see this specific lens of that lifestyle of Del Seymour. It was interesting.

[Anne Goldman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Owings renders Del Seymour, her subject, with all of the complexity and dignity he deserves. Mayor of the Tenderloin is at once impassioned and astute, elegantly written and full of heart.

[Peggii · Rating 5 out of 5]

A deep dive into a San Francisco neighborhood so many of us don’t know.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eye-opening and sobering. What a story of redemption. Wish it was written in ~chronological order as opposed to jumping around

[Racheal Matheny · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is the treatment for trauma? His answer, “safety”.