In 2018, San Francisco voters passed Prop C, which created a business tax to fund supportive services for people experiencing homelessness.
That money has slowly trickled into various supportive services over the last few years, including youth navigation centers, tiny homes and safe sleeping sites. Last month, Mayor Breed announced the creation of 300 new shelter beds, funded in part through Prop C money.
The move to create more shelter beds was praised by various groups, including the Coalition on Homelessness, who is currently in the middle of a federal lawsuit against the city.
The Coalition says the lawsuit played a not insignificant role in the opening of the beds. A preliminary injunction in that case requires that the city offer shelter before citing or arresting individuals during sweeps. So, while the creation of more beds is a win for people experiencing homelessness and their advocates, it also suggests that the city will not be slowing down on its encampment sweeps.
According to California’s latest point-in-time-count the number of unhoused people in California has increased by almost nine percent since 2022. But despite the statewide increase, San Francisco actually saw its unhoused population decrease in 2023 – the only city or county in the Bay Area to do so.
And according to data provided by the city, in 2023 they helped 1,500 people go directly from the street into a shelter. They also recently launched “Home By the Bay,” a five-year plan to reduce and even end homelessness.
