San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed, the San Francisco Human Services Agency (SFHSA), and Westside Community Services today announced the launch of the Treatment Pathway Initiative to support individuals with substance use disorder on their journey toward recovery.
In response to the opioid epidemic in San Francisco, Mayor Breed placed Proposition F onto the March 2024 ballot to require people with a substance use disorder who want to access county-funded cash assistance to participate in some form of treatment to maintain their CAAP benefits. Individuals who refuse to engage in treatment will be discontinued from receiving county-funded cash assistance. The Treatment Pathway Initiative is the program developed to implement Prop F, which now goes into effect in January of 2025.
“San Francisco is a city of compassion, but also a city that demands accountability,” said Mayor London Breed. “We fund a wide range of treatment and recovery services that are helping people every day, but it can be difficult to get everyone to accept the help they so badly need. The Treatment Pathway Initiative is a new tool that will get people to accept the treatment and services they need. The voters approved this new initiative and now we are putting it to work to make a difference in people’s lives and our city.”
State law requires all 58 counties to provide aid and support in the form of cash and other services to very low-income adults without dependents through locally funded "General Assistance" Programs. In San Francisco, the state mandated General Assistance is part of SFHSA’s County Adult Assistance Programs (CAAP). Currently, low-income single adults who are housed can receive up to $714 per month through CAAP. Unhoused individuals can receive financial assistance of $109 if they have been in San Francisco for more than 30 days. Individuals who receive the reduced financial assistance also receive guaranteed shelter and meals as part of the Care Not Cash program. Currently, approximately 20 percent of the approximately 5,500 CAAP recipients are unhoused and receive the reduced grant.
Under the Treatment Pathway Initiative, as a condition of receiving CAAP, individuals with suspected substance use disorder will be required to engage in some form of treatment.
“The goal of the Treatment Pathway Initiative has always been to get individuals who have a substance use disorder the help they need to move towards recovery,” said Trent Rhorer, SFHSA Executive Director. “This initiative is another tool in the City’s toolkit in assisting people to get the help they need and ultimately save their lives.”
SFHSA is taking a community-centered approach to implementing this initiative, partnering with Westside Community Services to provide substance use treatment support for CAAP clients. Westside Community Services involves people with lived expertise in recovery to help inspire clients to realize that the path to recovery is possible. This provider will play a critical role in ensuring that clients who suffer from a substance use disorder remain eligible for CAAP by providing the following supports:
- Assessing the client's need for substance use treatment
- Partnering with clients to identify appropriate treatment
- Providing high touch, ongoing treatment engagement support for clients, including transportation assistance, warm referrals and removing barriers to treatment
- Facilitating monthly reporting of client engagement in required substance use treatment
“The new Treatment Pathway Initiative supports people with substance use disorder in crisis by meeting them where they are in their recovery journey and providing tangible support and essential resources to improve their lives. This initiative also highlights San Francisco’s commitment to enhancing its behavioral health care infrastructure, a crucial step towards serving the most vulnerable communities,” said Cedric Akbar, Westside Community Services Forensic Director.
The initiative is part of Mayor Breed’s commitment to prioritizing treatment, offering support to people with substance use disorder in crisis, and holding them accountable when they refuse help. To prepare for the initiative’s launch, SFHSA convened community stakeholders, various City departments, nonprofit treatment providers, and people with lived experience to partner on implementing an approach focused on engaging people wherever they are in their recovery journey and supporting them along the way to take next steps.
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