San Francisco business owner complains to city officials about homeless

SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) - There's a grassroots push to have City Hall dismantle an expanding tent city in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood.

The owner of a health club in the area created flyers with the office number and email address of the mayor and every city supervisor.

He's hoping all of the phone calls and emails will get city leaders to finally take action.

The lack of progress on homelessness in San Francisco is evident on every corner near the Fitness SF where tents, tarps and shopping carts line the sidewalks.

"Every intersection, wherever you look is just overrun with homeless people," said Sebastyn Jacovics.

He owns the gym at the corner of 9th and Division and told KTVU the situation seems to get worse every month.

"What's going on is just not acceptable. We need a plan.  We need a plan of action that works," Jacovics said.

The increasing encampments are testing the limits of tolerance for people in the neighborhood, who report seeing drinking, drug dealing, defecating, urinating and aggressive panhandling.

"You wouldn't see this downtown.  You wouldn't see it at City Hall.  You wouldn't see it anywhere else.  They're pushing it out here," said gym member Harvey Woodmansen.  "It's just not right."

District Supervisor Jane Kim says steps are being taken to confront the festering problem.

"The city has opened up a new center on Pier 80 to specifically address the encampments that we're seeing on Division Street.  They've started doing outreach to provide them with an alternative."

But Jacovics says outreach alone isn't enough.

He wants results.

"We just need the city to make it a priority and to help these people, to help our city, to help everyone," said Jacovics.

It's about compassion he said - helping people get safe shelter.