News Releases
The latest news and announcements from Mayor London N. Breed

Acting Mayor London Breed and the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing Announce Capacity Increase at Shelters

Wednesday, December 20, 2017
Contact: Mayor's Office of Communications, 415-554-6131

 

Acting Mayor London Breed and the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing today announced that 75 additional individuals will be accommodated daily at San Francisco’s two largest shelters.

“Before he left us, Mayor Ed Lee made a promise to move 1,000 people off the streets by the end of this winter, and I intend to honor that pledge,” said Acting Mayor Breed. “Like Mayor Lee before me, I am committed to using every resource and tool available to address the challenges of homelessness. Increasing capacity at our two largest shelters is an important step forward in our goal to transition more people off the streets and into safe, stable living situations.”

An additional 50 individuals will be accommodated at the Next Door shelter on Polk Street and 25 will be housed overnight at the Multi Service Center-South facility on Fifth Street. The additional capacity levels will begin on Saturday.

Between traditional shelters, Navigation Centers and congregations managed by the San Francisco Interfaith Council, more than 2,200 individuals now receive accommodations each night in San Francisco.

“Homelessness is an emergency for each person without a safe, stable place to sleep,” said Jeff Kositsky, Director of San Francisco’s Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH). “We are looking to quickly expand our homelessness response system to provide new temporary shelter and permanent housing opportunities to serve 1,000 additional individuals.”

Acting Mayor Breed and the HSH made the announcement of the increased capacity while celebrating the opening of 70 new supportive housing units for homeless military veterans at the Auburn Hotel.

Each of the 70 units at the Auburn Hotel will be outfitted with beds, microwaves, refrigerators and televisions and are designated for military veterans who formerly experienced chronic homelessness. The Auburn Hotel is the fourth permanent housing site to open in the past year that includes housing for military veterans.  In the past 15 months, the City has provided nearly 150 permanent supportive housing units for veterans, through the openings of the Auburn, Crown, National and Winton hotels. The hotels are part of the City’s efforts to end chronic veterans’ homelessness in San Francisco.

The Auburn Hotel is being managed by Delivering Innovation in Supportive Housing (DISH), a nonprofit organization. Episcopal Community Services (ECS), an organization that focuses on homelessness initiatives, will provide services onsite at the Auburn.

“At Delivering Innovation in Supportive Housing we believe everyone deserves a home,” said Lauren Hall, the Director of DISH. “For 11 years we have provided specialized property management services in six properties serving homeless adults with chronic health conditions. It is our privilege to carry out Mayor Lee’s vision to ensure that veterans who have been homeless for the long term experience the healing effects of home and a stable community. We are proud to work with our partners Episcopal Community Services, the Department of Veterans Affairs, Housing Authority and the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing to provide a dignified and safe place to welcome veterans home.”

“Housing means health and hope – and for our US veterans especially, it means honor and dignity,” says Beth Stokes, Executive Director of ECS. “Working in partnership with DISH to bring new life to the Auburn and critical housing stabilization to its residents has already yielded positive outcomes, and we look forward to continued collaboration with Mayor Breed and City leadership to create additional housing opportunities for adults, veterans, seniors and families.”

A new Navigation Center with 125 beds is scheduled to open this spring in the SOMA District, and the City is working toward establishing two other Navigation Centers on state-owned properties in San Francisco. Additionally, HSH will open 67 new transitional housing beds by March.

The City is utilizing a combination of resources to help move 1,000 residents off the streets and into stable living situations this winter. Those resources include Navigation Centers, shelters, medical respite beds, behavioral health facilities, transitional housing, permanent supportive housing units and rent subsidies. In addition, the City is supporting the San Francisco Interfaith Council’s Winter Shelter Program, an initiative where four local congregations provide beds for residents experiencing homelessness.