Brian Howey, Author at San Francisco Public Press

Homelessness

S.F. Still Taking Tents From Homeless People During Deadly Pandemic

03.27.2020

By Brian Howey, Reporter

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Despite assurances from officials that the practice would stop, city workers continue to confiscate homeless people’s tents and remove encampments as the coronavirus spreads across a shuttered San Francisco.

Homelessness

Hotel Rooms for Homeless, or Back to Streets? Coronavirus Proposals Split S.F. Leadership

03.23.2020

By Brian Howey, Reporter

Dueling narratives from San Francisco politicians reflect a divide over not just how the city should care for its homeless population during the COVID-19 crisis, but also what kind of policies and financial support it should commit to for the longer term.

Open Government

San Francisco’s Move to Delay Public Records Disclosures Criticized

03.20.2020

By Brian Howey, Reporter

The city last week warned that public records will likely be delayed amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This is already having an impact on journalists’ ability to access and disseminate public health information.

Homelessness

Moving S.F. Homeless Into Shelters Could Make Outbreaks More Likely, Experts Say

03.20.2020

By Brian Howey, Reporter

The city’s plan to move people living on the street into emergency homeless shelters could increase the chances of an outbreak inside those facilities, say public health experts, social workers, and homeless shelter residents.

Coronavirus

Many San Francisco Emergency Handwashing Stations Broken, Empty, Missing

03.17.2020

By Brian Howey, Reporter

Stations were in a poor state, barely a week after they were installed to slow the spread of the coronavirus among the homeless. Officials pointed to overuse, as well as a private contractor that may have placed some stations in the wrong locations.

Coronavirus

San Francisco Advises Homeless to Sleep One to a Tent During Coronavirus Pandemic

03.14.2020

By Brian Howey, Reporter

In an effort to limit the spread of the coronavirus among the homeless, city officials are encouraging people on the streets to sleep only one to a tent and to keep at least six feet between tents.

Homelessness

During Coronavirus Outbreak S.F. Will Continue to Seize Homeless People’s Property

03.11.2020

By Brian Howey, Reporter

San Francisco will continue to confiscate belongings from people living in street encampments during the coronavirus outbreak, a Department of Public Works representative said, despite warnings from doctors and activists that the seizures may leave homeless people more vulnerable to the disease.

Homelessness

S.F. Shifts Strategy on Homeless Encampments, Moving Away From Complaint-Driven System

02.28.2020

By Brian Howey, Reporter

City officials Thursday pledged to abandon the current complaint-driven approach to addressing homeless encampments, saying it has been ineffective in moving large numbers of people from the streets into services and stable housing. Jeff Kositsky, director of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, said that beginning in mid-March, the Healthy Streets initiative — the multi-agency coalition tasked with abating homelessness — would stop relying mostly on calls from neighbors through the city’s 311 hotline.

311

Complaints From Neighbors Now Driving City’s Response to Homeless Camps

02.20.2020

By Brian Howey, Reporter

For the past year and a half, San Francisco has relied almost entirely on complaints from 311 — the city’s nonemergency customer service line — to address homeless encampments, leading to a sharp increase in the proportion of encampments labeled “removed” by city workers, a review of public records shows.

City Hall

Homeless Tents in S.F. Up in 2019 After Brief Drop

12.20.2019

By Brian Howey, Reporter

Following an initial drop in tents and improvised shelters on the streets in late 2018 and early 2019, the city’s own data shows a general upward climb, with a 31 percent increase in tents in 2019 from January to October. The number of vehicles used as shelter also rose in 2019 from April to October.