San Francisco officials unveiled a new “break the cycle” of homelessness plan targeted at tackling the city’s growing homeless population and behavioral health crisis.
“I believe our city must be judged by how we care for our most vulnerable residents, and today, we are outlining immediate actions and long-term reforms to address the crisis in our streets,” Lurie said in a statement.
The mayor said he expects the order to break the cycle of homelessness, addiction, and government failure in its homelessness and behavioral health response.
“My administration is bringing a new era of accountability and will deliver outcomes that get people off the street and into stability,” he said.
This number was up by 572 from 2022, representing about a 7.4 percent rise. The count is done every two years.
Most of San Francisco’s unhoused population—or 51 percent—say they struggle with mental health issues, addiction, or both, according to the mayor.
Homeless families are the fastest-growing segment of the population, nearly doubling since 2022, the mayor said.
“As a city, our systems are failing. If we don’t at least try to fix those failing systems, we can’t point the finger at someone else when nothing changes,” he said.
The city’s existing health, homelessness, and family services programs are fragmented, he said.
“Programs tend to develop in departmental silos without strongly integrated, data-driven decision-making,” Lurie wrote in the order.
As a result, the city’s programs are duplicated, disjointed, and have missed intervention opportunities.
The directive outlines a framework to “transform the system” by adding more accountability, integrated service delivery, and compassionate and responsible management.
In short, the order says, the program’s goals are to create a system that helps people find lasting stability, cleans up sidewalks and makes them safer, and creates responsible governance and accountable services.
All city departments were directed to achieve several goals.
The city is expected to launch a new street teams model within 100 days to promote neighborhood-based enforcement, services and treatment, and cleaning goals. It is also expected to invest in prevention and emergency help to keep people housed before they become homeless.
Staff must be ready to create emergency vouchers to help people find housing immediately, the order stated.
Lurie also directed the city to reassess its policies that allow the distribution of fentanyl smoking supplies in public spaces and re-focus on access to longstanding programs, such as clean needle exchanges and connecting people to treatment and recovery.
In six months, the city has set several goals, including expanding short-term housing capacity by 1,500 beds and adding emergency shelter, hotel vouchers, transitional housing, stabilization centers, recovery and sober housing, and residential treatment to help move people off the streets.
Officials hope to maximize state health care insurance and housing funding in one year to expand and improve services and take other actions to reform programs.
Several nonprofit groups serving the homeless population weighed in on the new plan on Monday.
“Mayor Lurie’s plan gives me hope that people who are struggling, like my son was, will finally get real help to rebuild their lives,” said Tanya Tilghman, cofounder of Mothers Against Drug Addiction and Deaths. “No one should have to wait months for treatment or shelter when they’re ready to turn things around.”
Tramecia Garner, the executive director of Swords to Plowshares, an advocacy organization helping veterans, also hoped to work with the mayor on the new program.
“Expanding treatment capacity and treatment beds to meet a growing level of clinical need and increasing the flow of philanthropic support will help meet the complex needs of veterans facing both mental health and substance use challenges,” she said in a statement.
