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.
Category: Homelessness
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, California, Elections, Environment, Government & Politics, Homelessness, Housing, News, San Francisco March 2020 Nonpartisan Election Guide
Assembly Member Phil Ting Advocates for Electric Cars, Criminal Record Reform, Housing Investment
Assembly member Phil Ting represents District 19, having been elected to that seat in 2012.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, California, City Hall, Government & Politics, Homelessness, Housing, San Francisco March 2020 Nonpartisan Election Guide, Transportation
Housing, Homelessness Crises Are ‘Of Our Own Making,’ Says David Chiu
David Chiu, the state assembly member representing California’s District 17, the Eastern side of San Francisco, is running unopposed for re-election this year. He spoke with “Civic” about his recent legislative work.
Posted inCity Hall, Homelessness, Public Safety
Complaints From Neighbors Now Driving City’s Response to Homeless Camps
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.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Homelessness, Housing, Transportation
Tent Counts Fluctuate, Vehicle Dweller Numbers Grow in S.F.
Even getting an accurate count of the number of tents and improvised structures is easier said than done, as the city’s counting methods have changed.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Homelessness, Housing
What Redding’s Response to Homelessness Says About a Statewide Crisis
Independent journalist Evelyn Nieves has covered homelessness extensively and has been reporting in depth on Redding’s response to homelessness, and how it parallels trends around the region and the state.
Posted inCity Hall, Homelessness
Homeless Tents in S.F. Up in 2019 After Brief Drop
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.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Elections, Homelessness, Housing
Neighborhood Activist Promotes Safety, Sense of Connection In S.F. Public Housing
“Civic” talks with Uzuri Pease-Greene, executive director of C.A.R.E., Community Awareness Resources Entity, which helps promote safety for public housing residents.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, City Hall, Homelessness
Homelessness: Why Some Called for an Oversight Body for a City Department
San Francisco supervisors recently tabled a proposal that would have put the formation of an oversight body on the city ballot. This body would have overseen the city’s Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. Sam Lew from the Coalition on Homelessness explains the rationale for such an entity. “It’s one of the largest departments with […]
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Bay Area, Homelessness
A Look at Bay Area Media Coverage of Homelessness
Journalist Sylvie Sturm discusses her analysis of how journalists reported on homelessness starting with what was billed as the S.F. homeless project, annual media blitz coordinated by the San Francisco Chronicle beginning in 2016. One of the upshots of the coverage: Lots of proposed solutions, but scant attention paid to digging into the “whys” of […]