San Francisco, CA – Today, Mayor London N. Breed announced an update on the City’s progress with the Tenderloin Community Action Plan, which was created as part of the City’s ongoing commitment to improve living conditions in the neighborhood.
The City has increased law enforcement presence to disrupt open-air drug markets and surrounding crime, expanded an ambassador program to provide on-the-ground support throughout the neighborhood, and conducted joint departmental operations to offer people services and move individuals living on the street into shelter.
As part of this comprehensive effort, the City’s Planning Department has been implementing the Tenderloin Community Action Plan (TCAP), a collaboration between various City agencies, residents, community organizations, businesses, and non-profit partners to provide funding and financial support for programs and services to improve public spaces, support youth and small businesses, and promote cultural events to benefit residents.
Programs funded by the $4 million in the TCAP are providing more services in several areas, including;
- Night Safety Support
- Expanding Green Spaces
- Cleaner and Safer Public Spaces
- Food Security
- Youth Enrichment and Support
- Small Business Support
- Housing
“Our commitment to the Tenderloin is unwavering and we are proud to have partnered with the community to bring these projects to life,” said Mayor Breed. “As we continue to invest in public safety efforts and work to deliver clean and safe public spaces, we must also focus on bringing joy and foster neighborhood pride in the Tenderloin and across the City.”
By the end of 2023, 19 of 21 projects as part of TCAP have either started delivering services or are in the designing or permitting phase and work is underway. Highlights include:
Nightly Safety Support
The Night Navigator Program run by Code Tenderloin in collaboration with the San Francisco Department of Public Health, is the newest addition to the street teams addressing a long-needed gap of providing services and care during the night.
Since its launch in October 2023, the program had over 900 street engagements, facilitating 265 connections to health and other social services such as shelter
Expanding Green Spaces
The Golden Gate Greenway project is a community effort to transform the 100 block of Golden Gate Avenue into a green, safe street for the Tenderloin community.
In the project’s first phase:
- The block’s closure was extended from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Green movable planters have been installed as barricades at Leavenworth Street
- A new parklet was added in front of 826 Valencia and the existing bike lane at Golden Gate Avenue has been restriped ahead of a parklet placement in front of Saint Boniface Church in Spring 2024
Cleaner and Safer Public Spaces
Work to address unsafe and unclean sidewalks, streets and public spaces in the Tenderloin has been a priority since Mayor Breed took office in 2018. With the additional TCAP funding the Mayor authorized last year, City and community crews have ramped up efforts to include:
- 29 stewards as part of the Park Stewardship Program have supported the upkeeping of three parks and 227 community events.
- 17 Safe Passage Ambassadors have escorted children, seniors, and people with disabilities at nine intersections to and from school and 43 special community events.
- 16 Clean Team members responded to over 13,000 311 calls for service to remove human and animal waste from streets and sidewalks, as well as graffiti removal.
Food Security
As part of the Delivering Innovation in Supportive Housing (DISH) Food Program, which ran through December 2023:
- Nearly 23,000 meals were delivered to residents recovering from long-term homelessness.
Youth Enrichment and Support
- Children at the Tenderloin Community Elementary School can now enjoy Elm Alley as a closed-to-cars open space during school hours
- Since November 2023, 32 youth and 123 additional family members have been served by the Arab Youth and Mental Health Center
“We are thrilled to see Tenderloin's community action transform into real improvements in the neighborhood, illustrating the effective cross-sector and interagency collaboration behind TCAP,” says SF Planning Director, Rich Hillis.
Support for Small Businesses
As part of TCAP, San Francisco is investing $380,000 in initiatives to support small businesses, including the rollout of SF Shines, new storefront grants, and business training grants. Additionally, a multiagency and community-led effort to improve public spaces is underway to increase safety, reimagine underutilized spaces such as alleys, and activating areas in and around commercial corridors.
Investments in Youth Services
Last year, SF Planning began conducting an analysis of the unique needs of children, teens, transitional aged youth and their families in the Tenderloin. The focus groups revealed the need for low-barrier programming such as sports tournaments, safe navigation to and from afterschool, and workforce training. The full report will be released in early 2024.
Activating Housing Priorities
Through a community validation process, six housing priorities were identified for the Tenderloin and efforts to activate some of these priorities are being evaluated, including an analysis of SRO rehab needs or identifying housing needs of Arab and immigrant communities.
Community Praise for TCAP Work
“The Tenderloin Planning Commission's unique funding process underscores the power of community-driven decision-making. It is a testament to the strength of our collective voice and the shared vision for a brighter future in the Tenderloin and San Francisco. At Code Tenderloin, we are dedicated to transforming lives through meaningful initiatives. We are proud to be out serving the community at night. The Nights team has been an example of how to get things done,” says Donna Hilliard Executive Director of Code Tenderloin
"SF Planning's support for small businesses in the key economic corridors of the Tenderloin is a powerful demonstration of the City's efforts to foster a vibrant and thriving neighborhood,” said Dan Williams, Director of Business Outreach and Engagement for the Tenderloin Community Benefit District. “Small businesses are an engine of equity in this neighborhood; they employ residents and help keep our streets clean and safe. SF Planning ran a highly engaged and thoughtful process developing the plans for these funds that included comprehensive input from stakeholders and the businesses of the community, ensuring these investments will be made wisely and address the acute needs of this business community."
“Our students, families, and community partners all benefit from the improved safety on Elm Alley,” says Dr. Kara Wright, Family Advocate of the Tenderloin Community School and sponsor of the Elm Alley School Street project. “Soccer scrimmages and football tosses sidewalk chalk art and parents enjoying a few moments to connect - all part of the new energy on Elm alley, thanks to this project. And a key ingredient in healing the Tenderloin community.”
“We're grateful to partner in this initiative, backed by the Mayor’s Office and SF Planning," said Majeid Crawford of New Community Leadership Foundation (NCLF). "We recognize the vital role of small businesses in the Tenderloin's economy. Thanks to the Dream Keepers Initiative, we're set to work with diverse business owners, including those in the Southeast Asian community, fostering inclusive economic resilience.”
Information on the Tenderloin Community Action Plan is available on this page. Details on the Community Action Projects are available here.
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