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Homelessness
A man in gray sweatpants, a long sleeved shirt and a black beanie sits on a chair with his hand on his cane. To his left, several backpacks and suitcases are scattered on the sidewalk.

Missed Connections: SF Shelter Hotline Staff Could Not Reach Most People Who Called for Help

Data from San Francisco’s Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing show that accessing shelter is very difficult for unhoused people in San Francisco due to a lack of available beds and other barriers.

  • People cheering and waving hands in the audience at a Board of Supervisors meeting
    With Reparations Office in Limbo, Advocates Urge Action to Help Black Residents

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  • “Civic” Podcast
    A rally at City Hall with a sign reading "Every Overdose Death Is a Policy Failure" #fundharmreduction
    Drug Crackdown Has Sparked Violent Turf Warfare in Central San Francisco, Supervisor Says

    A drug crackdown in the Tenderloin and South of Market has resulted in more than 600 arrests, with authorities seizing more than 200 pounds of fentanyl since the initiative launched in May, Mayor London Breed said. But the coordinated effort, involving city and state law enforcement agents, appears to be leading to violent clashes, said Supervisor Dean Preston, whose district includes the Tenderloin. “They’re poking a hornet’s nest,” he said in an interview.

News

  • Graffiti covers a poster with the words "Jail the Sacklers"
    Anonymous Posters Singling Out Judges for Leniency in Drug Cases Earn Condemnation From Defense Lawyers

    An anonymous poster campaign calling out judges who dropped charges against people accused of selling fentanyl is getting strong pushback from San Francisco legal professionals.  “This is just wildly inappropriate,” said Kirk Jenkins, Senior Counsel at Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer. “You could cause violence against judges.”

  • A man in a white shirt holding a skateboard speaks to another man on the sidewalk. In front of a colorful building nearby, a grey office chair rests next to a black trash bag and suitcase.
    Resource Guide: How You Can Access Shelter in San Francisco

    Accessing a shelter bed in San Francisco can be difficult. Check out our resource guide that shows pathways to shelter based on age, gender, family status and more.

  • Three people wearing vests and jackets with city logos speak with a man standing in the entrance of a tent covered with plastic tarps on a city sidewalk.
    SF ‘Failing’ on Housing as Overdose Solution, Health Expert Says

    Sarah Evans has spent decades advancing drug overdose prevention initiatives around the world. As a division director for Open Society Foundations — a grantmaking network founded and chaired by business magnate George Soros — Evans promotes one surefire way to help abate San Francisco’s homelessness and fatal overdose crisis: housing. “The way that people get off the street is by getting into housing, where people can get support and stay there even while they are continuing to struggle with substance use disorders of all kinds and mental health issues,” said Evans, who leads the organization’s drug policy programs globally. “It literally is the only way.” San Francisco isn’t doing enough to meet this housing need, according to health experts.

  • Three colorful carnival attractions — a Ferris wheel, a wavy slide and a tea cup ride — are being set up on a street in San Francisco's Civic Center neighborhood. Several trucks are parked nearby.
    SF Uses Events, Construction Projects to Clear Streets Ahead of Pacific Rim Economic Summit, Other Gatherings

    San Francisco is pursuing strategies to reduce visible homelessness and drug use in several locations ahead of a fall filled with high-profile events, including the 30th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders’ Meeting, which will put San Francisco in a global spotlight.

  • To initiate a massive encampment sweep at Eight and Harrison streets, Berkeley police and city staff began rousting people living in tents and vehicles shortly after 6 a.m. on Oct. 4.
    Yesica Prado Wins INN Insight Award for Visual Journalism

    The Institute for Nonprofit News has honored San Francisco Public Press multimedia journalist Yesica Prado with a 2023 Insight Award for Visual Journalism for “‘Everything Is Gone, and You Become More Lost’: 12 Hours of Chaos as Berkeley Clears Encampment,” published last December.

  • Susan Lefever, wearing a black jacket and crossbody purse, stands in front of the glass windows of a storefront. There are flyers posted on the glass behind her.
    San Francisco’s Fatal Overdose Crisis Was Decades in the Making

    As San Francisco continues to search for solutions, our team at “Civic” is exploring the origins of the city's opioid overdose crisis, what has been done to help and what might be making things worse. After six months of research involving hundreds of studies, reports and archival news clippings, and three dozen interviews with people with lived experience and professional expertise in homelessness, addiction, medicine, criminal justice, housing, social work, street outreach, business, education, harm reduction, policymaking and advocacy, we’re launching the series, “San Francisco and the Overdose Crisis.” Over six episodes, the series will explore what influenced rampant opioid addiction and its connection to homelessness, the 150-year history of policing and prosecuting drugs in San Francisco, the long battle to open a safe consumption site in the city, and grassroots efforts to stem the tide of drug-related fatalities. 

  • Zhe Wu profile photo
    San Francisco Public Press Selected to Host California Local News Fellow

    We’re delighted to announce that we are adding a full-time reporter to our staff through the California Local News Fellowship program, a multi-year, state-funded initiative to support and strengthen local news reporting in California, with a focus on underserved communities.  Zhe Wu, a 2023 graduate of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, will join the San Francisco Public Press in early September. We look forward to introducing her to you!

  • Closeup photo of Supervisor Matt Dorsey smiling at the camera. The background shows city buildings and part of the Bay Bridge.
    Supervisor Defends Dropping Support for Addiction-Treatment Centers

    Supervisor Matt Dorsey received backlash this month for asking the mayor to redirect the entire $18.9 million in city funding budgeted for a new drop-in addiction treatment center toward jails instead. Dorsey told the San Francisco Public Press that he reversed his previous support for the centers — called wellness hubs — once the city’s plans narrowed to one site from six, and removed safe consumption sites, which would have allowed people to consume drugs under supervision so they could receive immediate help in case of overdose. Dorsey said he now wants the funds to go toward jail health services, including forcing treatment for people in jail who are struggling with substance abuse disorder.

More News

Radio

Our Community Radio Station

KSFP, our low-power community radio station, broadcasts on 102.5 FM from San Francisco’s Sutro Tower 12 hours a day, featuring Public Press reporting and public radio programs. Hear our original interview show “Civic,” community programming and eclectic public radio shows. Also streaming online 24/7.

Learn more about KSFP

Podcasts

‘Civic’ Podcast

“Civic” is a daily interview show that engages listeners with civic life by approaching San Francisco’s inner workings from the standpoint of curious stakeholders — whether they are residents, workers, visitors or otherwise connected to the city. It asks smart questions and takes an investigative approach to the stories people might wish were in the news more often. “Civic” aims to inspire and empower listeners to become involved in making sure their city works for them.

Learn more about “Civic”

Recent Posts

  • ► Decorative play icon links to post: Drug Crackdown Has Sparked Violent Turf Warfare in Central San Francisco, Supervisor Says

    “Civic” Podcast | Sep 18 2023 | 4:41 pm
    Drug Crackdown Has Sparked Violent Turf Warfare in Central San Francisco, Supervisor Says

    A drug crackdown in the Tenderloin and South of Market has resulted in more than 600 arrests, with authorities seizing more than 200 pounds of fentanyl since the initiative launched in May, Mayor London Breed said. But the coordinated effort, involving city and state law enforcement agents, appears to be leading to violent clashes, said Supervisor Dean Preston, whose district includes the Tenderloin. “They’re poking a hornet’s nest,” he said in an interview.

  • ► Decorative play icon links to post: SF ‘Failing’ on Housing as Overdose Solution, Health Expert Says

    Health | Sep 05 2023 | 11:07 am
    SF ‘Failing’ on Housing as Overdose Solution, Health Expert Says

    Sarah Evans has spent decades advancing drug overdose prevention initiatives around the world. As a division director for Open Society Foundations — a grantmaking network founded and chaired by business magnate George Soros — Evans promotes one surefire way to help abate San Francisco’s homelessness and fatal overdose crisis: housing. “The way that people get off the street is by getting into housing, where people can get support and stay there even while they are continuing to struggle with substance use disorders of all kinds and mental health issues,” said Evans, who leads the organization’s drug policy programs globally. “It literally is the only way.” San Francisco isn’t doing enough to meet this housing need, according to health experts.

  • ► Decorative play icon links to post: San Francisco’s Fatal Overdose Crisis Was Decades in the Making

    Health | Aug 23 2023 | 2:05 pm
    San Francisco’s Fatal Overdose Crisis Was Decades in the Making

    As San Francisco continues to search for solutions, our team at “Civic” is exploring the origins of the city's opioid overdose crisis, what has been done to help and what might be making things worse. After six months of research involving hundreds of studies, reports and archival news clippings, and three dozen interviews with people with lived experience and professional expertise in homelessness, addiction, medicine, criminal justice, housing, social work, street outreach, business, education, harm reduction, policymaking and advocacy, we’re launching the series, “San Francisco and the Overdose Crisis.” Over six episodes, the series will explore what influenced rampant opioid addiction and its connection to homelessness, the 150-year history of policing and prosecuting drugs in San Francisco, the long battle to open a safe consumption site in the city, and grassroots efforts to stem the tide of drug-related fatalities. 

Special Reports

The entrance to Los Angeles Superior Court's Stanley Mosk Courthouse is shown, with three robed stone figures above the doorway.

Coercive Control

Explore project

Left Out

Explore project

Public Housing in Private Hands

Explore project

Driving Home: Surviving the Housing Crisis

Explore project

Ride-Hailing’s Dark Data

Explore project

Data Privacy

Explore project

Renters vs. Veritas

Explore project

LEFT OUT: In San Francisco, Hundreds of Homes for the Homeless Sit Vacant.

In spite of a growing Department of Homelessness with an annual budget of $598 million, eligible people still wait months or even years after being approved for assisted housing. Meanwhile, hundreds of units remain unused. By Nuala Bishari.

LEFT OUT: In San Francisco, Hundreds of Homes for the Homeless Sit Vacant.

San Francisco Rations Housing by Scoring Homeless People’s Trauma. By Design, Most Fail to Qualify.

The city's system to assess homeless people for housing fails to identify many of the vulnerabilities it was meant to catch, critics say. By Nuala Bishari.

San Francisco Rations Housing by Scoring Homeless People’s Trauma. By Design, Most Fail to Qualify.

Print Editions

ISSUE 30 - Winter 2020 (ride-hailing)
Issue 30: Winter 2020 Ride-Hailing’s Dark Data: Secrecy cloaks rising accident reports.
Issue 30: Winter 2020 Ride-Hailing’s Dark Data: Secrecy cloaks rising accident reports.
ISSUE 29 - Fall 2019 (KSFP)
Issue 29: Fall 2019 KSFP LP 102.5 FM Launches. Big Ticket Housing Plan faces S.F. Voters
Issue 29: Fall 2019 KSFP LP 102.5 FM Launches. Big Ticket Housing Plan faces S.F. Voters
ISSUE 28 - Summer 2019 (PGE)
Issue 28: Summer 2019 Power Switch: City builds case for pushing out embattled PG&E
Issue 28: Summer 2019 Power Switch: City builds case for pushing out embattled PG&E
ISSUE 27 - Spring 2019 (Veritas)
Issue 27: Spring 2019 Taking on Big Tech
Issue 27: Spring 2019 Taking on Big Tech
ISSUE 26 - Winter 2018 (various, elections)
Issue 26: Winter 2019 Digital Privacy: Who Surveils Those Who Surveil Us?
Issue 26: Winter 2019 Digital Privacy: Who Surveils Those Who Surveil Us?
ISSUE 25 - Summer 2018 (Rent Control)
Issue 25: Spring 2018 Remaking Rent Control
Issue 25: Spring 2018 Remaking Rent Control
Issue 24: Spring 2018
Issue 24: Spring 2018 Immigration: Fighting to Stay. Legally in U.S. for years, thousands face deportation.
Issue 24: Spring 2018 Immigration: Fighting to Stay. Legally in U.S. for years, thousands face deportation.
Issue 23, Fall 2017
Issue 23: Fall 2017 No Vacancy for the Homeless
Issue 23: Fall 2017 No Vacancy for the Homeless
Issue 22: Summer 2017
Issue 22: Summer 2017 Navigating Homelessness: Which Way Home?
Issue 22: Summer 2017 Navigating Homelessness: Which Way Home?
Issue 21, Spring 2017
Issue 21: Spring 2017 Sea Level Rise, Part 2: Wide West On the Waterfront
Issue 21: Spring 2017 Sea Level Rise, Part 2: Wide West On the Waterfront
Issue 20: Winter 2017 Bilingual Schools
Issue 20: Winter 2017 Bilingual Schools
Issue 20: Winter 2017 Bilingual Schools
Issue 19: Summer 2016
Issue 18: Winter 2016
Issue 18: Winter 2016 Consumer prices, housing: The high cost of living here.
Issue 18: Winter 2016 Consumer prices, housing: The high cost of living here.
Issue 17: Summer 2015
Issue 17: Summer 2015 The Bay Area’s waterfront building frenzy includes at least $21B in housing and commercial construction in low-lying areas that climate scientists say could flood by the end of the century.
Issue 17: Summer 2015 The Bay Area’s waterfront building frenzy includes at least $21B in housing and commercial construction in low-lying areas that climate scientists say could flood by the end of the century.
Issue 16: Winter 2015
Issue 16: Winter 2015 Despite their aspirations and efforts, San Francisco schools are increasingly segregated. Last school year, a single racial group formed a majority at six out of 10 schools. Our investigation tries to find out why.
Issue 16: Winter 2015 Despite their aspirations and efforts, San Francisco schools are increasingly segregated. Last school year, a single racial group formed a majority at six out of 10 schools. Our investigation tries to find out why.
Issue 15: Fall 2014
Issue 15: Fall 2014 Attempts to alleviate homelessness with subsidized supportive housing are not keeping pace with growing demand. Reforms could give those waiting for a room an idea of when they might get off the streets or out of a shelter.
Issue 15: Fall 2014 Attempts to alleviate homelessness with subsidized supportive housing are not keeping pace with growing demand. Reforms could give those waiting for a room an idea of when they might get off the streets or out of a shelter.
Issue 14: Fall 2011
Issue 14: Summer 2014 This experiment with solutions journalism paired reporting with the Hack the Housing Crisis conference to explore innovative ideas for keeping rents down and adding more housing while preserving San Francisco’s diverse communities and cultures. those waiting for a room an idea of when they might get off the streets or out of a shelter.
Issue 14: Summer 2014 This experiment with solutions journalism paired reporting with the Hack the Housing Crisis conference to explore innovative ideas for keeping rents down and adding more housing while preserving San Francisco’s diverse communities and cultures. those waiting for a room an idea of when they might get off the streets or out of a shelter.
Issue 13, Winter 2014
Issue 13: Summer 2014 Reporters examined tax records from PTAs and data from the city’s public schools. While fundraising helped a small number of elementary schools avoid the worst effects of recent budget cuts, belts continued to tighten at schools with more economically disadvantaged students.
Issue 13: Summer 2014 Reporters examined tax records from PTAs and data from the city’s public schools. While fundraising helped a small number of elementary schools avoid the worst effects of recent budget cuts, belts continued to tighten at schools with more economically disadvantaged students.
issue 12, fall 2013
Issue 12: Fall 2013 San Francisco spends more than ever on job training, placement subsidies and a slew of supportive services. Is this effectively boosting employment? For many programs it is hard to say, because the system is so fragmented.
Issue 12: Fall 2013 San Francisco spends more than ever on job training, placement subsidies and a slew of supportive services. Is this effectively boosting employment? For many programs it is hard to say, because the system is so fragmented.
Issue 11: Summer 2013
Issue 11: Summer 2013 Climate Change: Regional efforts are taking aim at limiting greenhouse gas emissions. California’s cap-and-trade market promises major reductions. But loopholes abound.
Issue 11: Summer 2013 Climate Change: Regional efforts are taking aim at limiting greenhouse gas emissions. California’s cap-and-trade market promises major reductions. But loopholes abound.
Issue 10: Spring 2013
Issue 10: Spring 2013 Under San Francisco’s 10-year-old minimum wage law the city recovered back wages for only a fraction of workers cheated by their bosses while technically the city boasted the highest minimum wage is the nation.
Issue 10: Spring 2013 Under San Francisco’s 10-year-old minimum wage law the city recovered back wages for only a fraction of workers cheated by their bosses while technically the city boasted the highest minimum wage is the nation.
Issue 9: Winter 2013
Issue 9: Winter 2013 Thousands of homes in San Francisco are more vulnerable to earthquakes because of delays in mandatory retrofitting. Before this report was published, many landlords and tenants did not know their homes were among those needing upgrades.
Issue 9: Winter 2013 Thousands of homes in San Francisco are more vulnerable to earthquakes because of delays in mandatory retrofitting. Before this report was published, many landlords and tenants did not know their homes were among those needing upgrades.
Issue 8: Fall 2012
Issue 8: Fall 2012 An investigation into San Francisco’s uneven response to domestic violence exposed holes in the tracking of criminal cases and a declining rate of prosecution for abuse within the home.
Issue 8: Fall 2012 An investigation into San Francisco’s uneven response to domestic violence exposed holes in the tracking of criminal cases and a declining rate of prosecution for abuse within the home.
Issue 7: Summer 2012
Issue 7: Summer 2012 Regional planners hope to make more of the Bay Area like San Francisco — walkable, BARTable and energy efficient. But “smart growth” is facing resistance from cities, and financial pressure from the cash-strapped state.
Issue 7: Summer 2012 Regional planners hope to make more of the Bay Area like San Francisco — walkable, BARTable and energy efficient. But “smart growth” is facing resistance from cities, and financial pressure from the cash-strapped state.
issue 6: Spring 2012
Issue 6: Spring 2012 State budget cuts and unsteady leadership have hindered local law enforcement agencies and nonprofits trying to stop human trafficking. But signs of better coordination are emerging.
Issue 6: Spring 2012 State budget cuts and unsteady leadership have hindered local law enforcement agencies and nonprofits trying to stop human trafficking. But signs of better coordination are emerging.
issue 5: Winter 2011
Issue 5: Winter 2011 Under the Healthy San Francisco program — the city’s attempt at local universal health care — quality of the care is great. But with uncertain funding and high hidden costs maintaining the program is a challenge.
Issue 5: Winter 2011 Under the Healthy San Francisco program — the city’s attempt at local universal health care — quality of the care is great. But with uncertain funding and high hidden costs maintaining the program is a challenge.
Issue 4: Fall 2011
Issue 4: Fall 2011 San Francisco’s budgeting process is broken. In a time of fiscal austerity, many city departments ignore audits that could save millions of dollars. Includes a take on the “participatory budgeting” trend.
Issue 4: Fall 2011 San Francisco’s budgeting process is broken. In a time of fiscal austerity, many city departments ignore audits that could save millions of dollars. Includes a take on the “participatory budgeting” trend.
Issue 03, spring 2011
Issue 3: Spring 2011 Half of Bay Area newspaper jobs evaporated in the past decade. What caused the media meltdown? Can tech media startups make up for what’s been lost?
Issue 3: Spring 2011 Half of Bay Area newspaper jobs evaporated in the past decade. What caused the media meltdown? Can tech media startups make up for what’s been lost?
Issue 2: Fall 2010
Issue 2: Fall 2010 A report on Muni’s elusive quest for on-time service. The issue also includes stories on obstacles to reviving the city’s Mid-Market neighborhood, and a choose-your-own-adventure graphic on the future of Pier 70 redevelopment.
Issue 2: Fall 2010 A report on Muni’s elusive quest for on-time service. The issue also includes stories on obstacles to reviving the city’s Mid-Market neighborhood, and a choose-your-own-adventure graphic on the future of Pier 70 redevelopment.
Issue 1: Summer 2010
Issue 1: Summer 2010 Report on the environmental and logistical challenges of adding thousands of new housing units to transform Treasure Island into an eco-enclave. Featuring an investigation into Macy’s selling doctored gems without proper labeling.
Issue 1: Summer 2010 Report on the environmental and logistical challenges of adding thousands of new housing units to transform Treasure Island into an eco-enclave. Featuring an investigation into Macy’s selling doctored gems without proper labeling.

More Print Editions

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