San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed and Supervisors Myrna Melgar and Hillary Ronen are proposing new solutions to meet the growing needs of family homelessness in San Francisco. The Mayor has directed the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) to implement strategies to expand family shelter capacity.
To increase capacity in the City’s family shelter system, HSH will speed up the rate at which families move out of shelter and into longer term housing options and reallocate funds to increase family shelter capacity through the opening of a new family shelter. By directing this funding to shelter, San Francisco will be able to create more emergency space for families in dire need, as the City continues to also develop long-term housing options. San Francisco currently provides 337 units of family shelter and transitional housing and over 2,300 units of family housing in the Homelessness Response System.
Families struggle with homelessness in San Francisco for various reasons, but part of this need is being driven by families coming to San Francisco as part of a refugee migration that is happening across the country. This is putting pressure on San Francisco’s systems of care, especially its family shelter system which has seen an increase in the number of families with children seeking emergency shelter.
While it is crucial to respond to newcomers, the City must also balance the existing demand for shelter, which encompasses individuals and families experiencing homelessness including those fleeing violence and gender-based violence. The Mayor has made significant investments in safe shelter since 2018, however, based on information provided by service providers and from directly impacted families, the City needs to redeploy resources to address the increase in families experiencing temporary homelessness.
“San Francisco has made significant strides in addressing family homelessness over the last several years, but right now we are seeing the need for more emergency support and we are responding,” said Mayor London Breed. “Our significant investments in shelter and housing for families has made a real difference for so many and we know the community is working hard to support individuals every day. With this expansion of emergency shelter, we can meet this growing need.”
"I am eager to see our shelter capacity increase, especially for children and families who have come to our City in hopes of finding the American Dream,” said Supervisor Myrna Melgar. “In order for all San Franciscans to take advantage of the many opportunities our City has to offer, we need to make sure their basic needs are met: food, shelter, and access to an education. I am grateful for the partnership of Supervisor Ronen and Mayor Breed to make sure all families, especially our newcomer families, have a place to call home in San Francisco."
“Our City is experiencing a crisis on the streets that has overwhelmed every single part of our homelessness system, and we are seeing a huge increase in homeless families, leading to children sleeping on the streets every night,” said Supervisor Hillary Ronen. “We are encouraged by the work that has been done by City departments to come up with a plan to address this crisis, and moved by the advocacy and leadership of the community groups that have been at the forefront of this emergency. I will work in partnership to support our community with these and other creative solutions”
HSH has already been working directly with community groups to identify emergency shelter needs for families in San Francisco. While San Francisco has seen a decrease in the number of tents and people living in vehicles on the streets, there is growing concern around families who cannot access shelter and are living unsheltered, including in vehicles, in the City.
The Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA) is also working with the Mayor’s Office to assess the current framework and response strategy initially set forth last year to address migrants arriving in the city. As part of the current approach, the City increased community-based newcomer case management, asylum seeker legal support, and is piloting a Hosted Housing program matching newcomers with available private housing. OCEIA will continue to refine the City’s response strategy to meet the current and evolving situation.
The IRC is grateful for the expansion of services to care for and support our immigrant newcomers and their families,” said Immigrant Rights Commission Chair Celine Kennelly. “We are acutely aware of how vulnerable refugee migrants are when they arrive and of the importance of quick provision of wraparound services. The IRC will continue working with all city leaders to advise and make recommendations on how best to address the needs of our newcomers and their families. We remain committed to working with community to meet the needs of all immigrants.”
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