San Francisco Supervisors Matt Dorsey and Rafael Mandelman recently proposed new legislation at City Hall to prioritize drug-free, recovery-oriented housing.
It would also require the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing to partner with the Department of Public Health to promote rules and regulations for recovery housing in San Francisco.
The legislation aims for drug-free recovery housing to account for at least a quarter of San Francisco’s permanent supportive housing.
“Recovery Housing First will prioritize urgently needed alternatives to drug-permissive supportive housing, which for too many people in recovery is causing more harm than itʼs reducing,” said Mr. Dorsey in the news release.
Mr. Dorsey recognized the urgency of solving San Francisco’s drug crisis, and he has publicly mentioned his own journey of recovery from alcoholism and addiction, according to the news release.
“Amidst the deadliest drug crisis in San Francisco history, recovery canʼt wait,” he said. “More recovery housing is essential—not solely for those seeking recovery from addiction, but also for those at-risk who simply want a residence free of illegal drug use.”
San Francisco recorded 806 accidental overdose deaths last year, according to a city government report.
Among roughly 450 tenants who responded to a recent survey, 71 percent said they would prefer drug-free housing, Randy Shaw, executive director of the Tenderloin Housing Clinic, said in the news release.
“It’s time to listen to our recovery community,” said Mr. Mandelman in the news release. “Overwhelmingly, they share my conviction that no one exiting homelessness should need to choose between their recovery and a home that continually endangers it.”
Overall, the community response in the news release was positive, highlighting the urgent need for drug-free recovery housing.
“We need an ambitious plan like ʻRecovery Housing Firstʼ to expand drug-free recovery housing options—and we need it now,” said Cedric Akbar, co-founder of the drug treatment program Positive Directions Equals Change, in the news release.
“The stark reality of living in permanent supportive housing where active drug use is allowed is incredibly distressing, and it creates an unsafe and unstable environment for families like mine,” said Danica Gutierrez, a mother of three, in the news release.
“Daily exposure to drug-related nuisances is bad enough for those of us who are adults in recovery. But I’m especially worried about the damage drug-permissive housing inflicts on young children like mine, who have already endured the emotional, physical, and psychological traumas of homelessness.”
In an additional effort to address the city’s drug crisis, the Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance the following day targeting the Tenderloin, a downtown neighborhood known for drug activity.
