San Francisco, CA— Mayor Edwin M. Lee today announced the opening of the second Navigation Center located at the Civic Center Hotel at 20 12th Street. The Navigation Center is part of Mayor Lee’s pioneering approach to help homeless people move off the streets and into stable housing or residential programs where they have access to the services they need to stabilize their lives.

“Living on our City’s streets is not healthy or safe,” said Mayor Lee. “Although we have housed and provided services for thousands of people already, we still have work to do. The Navigation Centers are an important piece in solving homelessness for those individuals who face multiple challenges to returning to housing.”

Navigation Center 2 will have 93 beds and will build off of the success of the first Navigation Center at 1950 Mission Street, which has served 550 clients in a little over a year. Over 80 percent of clients who have left the Navigation Center have exited to stable supportive housing or have reunited with friends and family. The City will partner with longtime housing provider Community Housing Partnership (CHP) to manage Navigation Center 2.

The Navigation Center 2 building is owned by the UA Local 38 Plumbers Union Pension Trust Fund and will be rebuilt in two years to include 550 homes with 110 permanently affordable homes for formerly homeless people and current residents of Navigation Center 2.

Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (DHSH) Director Jeff Kositsky today announced the creation of the Encampment Response Team (ERT) to provide services for people living in encampments on City streets. The ERT will be responsible for identifying and tracking encampments, providing community outreach to neighbors, and implementing outreach and shelter placement.

“Just like many San Francisco residents, I’m concerned about the impact of encampments in our community. The camps are unsafe and unhealthy for people living in them and are highly disruptive to our neighborhoods,” said DHSH Director Jeff Kositsky. “The new Encampment Response Team will ensure our residents living in encampments receive the shelter and services they deserve and that our neighborhoods remain safe and healthy for families and everyone. The department is deeply committed to this initiative and to addressing encampments in San Francisco.”

The ERT will be a coordinated effort led by DHSH with support from the Mayor’s Fix-It Team, the Homeless Outreach Team, Public Works, Public Health, SFPD, SFFD, and Rec and Parks.