San Francisco cleared encampments, some unhoused moved not too far away

SAN FRANCISCO - The number of San Francisco homeless tents has dropped dramatically this year - in fact, Mayor London Breed's office said the city reached its lowest record since 2018.

Breed, who is running for reelection, said outreach teams have connected 950 people to shelters -- a sign of major progress – this year.

Still, many people are choosing to stay on the streets, and some told KTVU that each time, they aren't moving too far from their last stop. 

A woman who preferred to go by Kitty was staying behind a bush at Jefferson Square Park near Van Ness Monday. She said since sweeps have become more frequent, she has to find a new location every 24 to 48 hours.

"It's really stressful for sure, it's hard because I don't have a tent and I don't have any privacy," she said on Monday. "It can be scary."

Kitty said earlier in the day, the city's outreach team offered her space in a dorm-style shelter, which she declined. 

"Just because you have to have roommates and I have PTSD," she said. "The people that you're going to be roommates with are the worst roommates, and some of them are psychotic or thieves or just sick or stink."

She added that if the city offered her a single room, she would take them up on it. 

Residents near the park told KTVU that they've noticed new drug activity and encampments, since sweeps picked up in the city. 

Despite workers cleaning the park every day, they've also observed more trash left behind.  

For years, nearby Willow Street off Van Ness has been a notorious hotspot for drug activity and encampments in San Francisco.

These days, since the city began ramping up sweeps, residents who live nearby say they're no longer afraid to walk or drive down the street. When KTVU stopped by Monday, the sidewalks were clear of any tents and people. 

"There's a sense of relief, to see it continue to improve, to see such progress after we had hit such lows," said resident Josh Srago. 

Srago said his building has also experienced fewer break-ins in the last month.

He said he's worked with SFPD, and the city attorney's office to call for resources to clean up blight on Willow Street. As a result, a vacant City College of San Francisco building has been boarded up. Graffiti has also been painted over more frequently. 

"What's happening now is there's a lot more enforcement, generally speaking," said Srago. "As those enforcements happened, fewer people would return each time, so this became a center for drug sales."

Srago said he's seen a great partnership among city agencies and departments, including SFPD. 

"The police groups that are dealing with the drugs and SFPD in general, are making it a point of keeping people out of this area for the drug sales," said Srago. "There was a drug bust just yesterday."  

Still, many eateries and small businesses said while the area around Van Ness and Willow Street looks visually more appealing, sales are still slow.

John Oh owns a Korean restaurant called The Yasijang.

"My customers also told me that they're still scared to come here at nighttime, so it's pretty hard for us," Oh said. "Because we want to advertise the restaurant."

Another nearby restaurant shared recent photos of people using drugs outside its storefront. The owner said business has not picked up, after the city stepped up enforcement.