Homeless relocation a priority in San Francisco under new executive order
SF Mayor wants to offer relocation to the homeless before other services
San Francisco Mayor London Breed issues an executive directive on Thursday to offer homeless people relocation before offering them any other services as the city ramps up homeless encampments removal. Glides CEO and homeless people react.
SAN FRANCISCO - An executive order by San Francisco Mayor London Breed will require homeless residents to first be offered transportation that can reunite them with family outside the city before anything else.
The "Journey Home Executive Directive," issued on Thursday, will "prioritize relocation support and services" for San Francisco's homeless residents and mandate city departments and staff to first offer these services before others, including housing and shelter.
The order also requires first responders such as police officers, paramedics, and firefighters to give handouts with information about the city's relocation services and a contact number.
"San Francisco continues to be committed to investing in effective programs that offer services to help reconnect people living on our streets with their homes as part of our ongoing efforts to address homelessness here in our city," Breed said in a statement. "While we will always lead with compassion and we have mae significant expansions in housing and shelter, we cannot solve everyone’s individual housing and behavioral health needs."
The directive comes as homeless encampment sweeps are in full force in the wake of Gov. Gavin Newsom's executive order requiring encampments to be cleared. The news came to the dismay of many, including homelessness advocate groups.
"This is not compassion. This is not love," said Gina Fromer, president and CEO of Glide, which offers many services, including daily meals, to the homeless.
Fromer anticipates the demand for Glide's services will increase substantially.
She said relocation will only work if there are services where the person will be going.
"We see the pain that people are going through when their encampments are moved. They have to lose their connections to organizations and resources," said Fromer.
KTVU spoke with two homeless people who were originally from out of town.
They said they don't plan to take up the city's offer to relocate.
"I'm already deeply rooted here. Unless my family or somebody calls me from where I'm from and tells me, hey come over here. I have a job for you," Elias Cook said, adding that he lost some of his belongings when crews swept the encampment where he was staying on Monday.
Ursula Fallis said she's homeless because she has nowhere to go.
She's grateful to Glide for keeping her from going hungry.
Fallis said relocation may not be an option for many who are homeless.
"Why would somebody go back to the same place where they started from again," Fallis asked, "all the way from the very beginning of being homeless."
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A tracking service will also be implemented that measures the effectiveness of the different programs offering relocation.
Those relocation programs include Journey Home, Problem Solving Relocation Assistance, and County Adult Assistance Program, city officials said.
City officials said that 40% of the unhoused population surveyed in San Francisco came from another California city or even from out of state, increasing from 28% in 2019.
Additionally, 37% surveyed said they lived in San Francisco for less than a year when they became homeless, up from 15% in 2019.
During this time, San Francisco saw a "significant" decrease in homelessness for long-term residents, going from 43% to 14%.
"Today’s order will ensure that all our city departments are leveraging our relocation programs to address this growing trend," Breed said.
"Sometimes the most effective service that HSA can provide to our homeless clients is paying for their travel to reconnect them with their families or support networks in the city they used to live," said Executive Director Trent Rhorer of San Francisco's Human Services Agency.
Glide's Fromer said the solution is to get people into shelters and permanent housing.
She suggested that the city open up vacant hotels to house the homeless.
Amber Lee is a reporter with KTVU. Email Amber at Amber.Lee@Fox.com or text/leave message at 510-599-3922. Follow her on Facebook @AmberKTVU, Instagram @AmberKTVU or Twitter @AmberKTVU