The 35 blocks that make up the Tenderloin are crowded with homeless people. The air reeks of marijuana. People sell and use drugs to survive. Sirens go off a block away.

People rush to their destination trying to pass through the Tenderloin, known to locals as “the T.L.” as swiftly as possible. As the saying goes, “There’s nothing tender about that place.”

Despite horrible scenery and depressing conditions, the Tenderloin is San Francisco’s most diverse community, said Tom Temtranl, a spokesman for District 6 Supervisor Chris Daly.

“What is remarkable about the community is that it reaches out to the people who reside in the Tenderloin community to come out and participate in what it has to offer,” Temtranl said.

Many organizations reach out to residents. Programs like Young Workers United, a multi-racial and bilingual organization, is dedicated to offering quality jobs for young and immigrant workers.

“I like the Tenderloin because it’s the last real, affordable neighborhood left in San Francisco,” said Sasha Hamad, 22, an organizer at Young Workers United.

Hamad, who resides in Oakland, said she believes the city has neglected the Tenderloin, causing the youth she works with to stay at home because there’s nothing to do. She also said negativity surrounding the community doesn’t impact the youth. “The youth are awesome and are striving,” Hamad said.

She wants the city to use grant money to invest in the neighborhood. “There are too many liquor stores that can be used as community resources,” Hamad said.

The streets that surround the YMCA are where most of the trouble is located, but Colm Hegarty, director of resource development and public relations at the Tenderloin Health Resource Center near the YMCA, has no security issues. “I feel safe working here in the Tenderloin community,” Hegarty said. “I love the Tenderloin.”

Although some people have found the beauty of the Tenderloin, others haven’t.

“Its bad reputation is well deserved,” said Jabari Allah, manager of Offices for The Homeless and Mental. Allah believes that “as long as the ill and drug-addicted stay within the neighborhood, it’s all good.”

Though there are numerous amounts of mentally ill and drug-addicted on the streets, the community is also thriving with culture and is home to a large Vietnamese and Latino population. Hamad’s parents emigrated from Mexico and Syria. Because of her family history, she is passionate about the neighborhood’s different immigrant communities.

The beauty of the Tenderloin may be hidden, but because of the work of the residents and various organizations, some have found it and appreciate it.

“I like it here,” Hamad said. “It’s my second home.”