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San Francisco shifts homelessness outreach to health department, cites progress
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie is consolidating outreach under SFDPH, pointing to significant increases in shelter placements and faster response times over the past year.
SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco is consolidating its street outreach teams under the Department of Public Health, as part of a broader overhaul of its homelessness response, with city leaders pointing to what they describe as early progress under the current system.
Mayor Daniel Lurie said the city’s approach is already showing results.
"When I took office, the city was sending out nine different teams to try to get people off the street—it wasn’t coordinated, and it wasn’t effective. We brought those teams together, and it’s clear the strategy is working, so we’re going to take it a step further," Lurie said in a press release.
Under the new structure, all street outreach teams will move from the Department of Emergency Management to the Department of Public Health beginning July 1. About 20 city employees and 100 contracted workers will be reassigned.
City officials said the move will not have budget impacts and is intended to improve efficiency and coordination.
City points to gains in shelter placements and response times
By the numbers:
The city highlighted several metrics it says reflect improvement, including a 40% increase in shelter placements and faster response times to 3-1-1 complaints related to street conditions, along with more than 2,000 shelter placements over the past year.
What they're saying:
Some business owners said they have noticed improvements in cleanliness and services.
"It’s a lot better, much cleaner sidewalks," said Ali Jubari, who works at City Produce.
He credited city cleanup crews and outreach workers.
"Urban Alchemy, they do an excellent job, a lot of city cleaners they wash the sidewalks every other day," he said.
Jubari also said some customers have recently reported better housing access.
"A few of my customers they always keep telling me that they had no place to stay, so lately they’ve been telling me they have rooms to stay in so that’s a good improvement," he said.
Street-level perspectives
What they're saying:
On San Francisco’s 6th Street, homelessness remains highly visible, even as city leaders point to improvements.
"They don’t want us out here, that’s it," said Matt House, who lives on the street. "They keep arresting us for being out here, giving us tickets. They don’t want us out here."
Christian Peaslee, who struggles with addiction, said he has noticed changes in how the city responds.
"I’ve definitely noticed they’ve done a good job cleaning up the streets, getting housing for everybody, offering services," he said.
He added that enforcement has also increased visibility pressures on drug use.
"Two years ago, open drug use wasn’t really that big of a deal. They’re actually arresting people for it now so most of us are less likely to be seen out here smoking, because we don’t want to go to jail," he said.
Peaslee said he is not ready to stop using drugs.
"If I’m honest, I’m not quite ready to get clean yet," he said.
House said he has also spent nights in custody for sleeping on the sidewalk.
"I would like the city to leave me alone and let me live my life the way I want to live it," he said.
Health department to lead behavioral health-focused outreach
Big picture view:
Officials said the consolidation is intended to more directly link outreach with clinical services, including treatment, stabilization, and ongoing care coordination.
The overhaul is part of Lurie’s broader homelessness strategy, which includes expanding treatment capacity and adding more than 600 treatment-focused beds, along with a 24/7 crisis stabilization center aimed at connecting people in crisis to care.
The Source: SF Mayor's Office, interviews with people living on the street, store employee