San Francisco gives media tour of Tenderloin Center at U.N. Plaza

SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) — San Francisco has offered a uncommon look inside what’s, in impact, town’s first protected consumption website for drug customers.

What opened because the Tenderloin Linkage Heart in January has lately been renamed the Tenderloin Heart. The town began with a six-month lease on the constructing in U.N. Plaza, a lease which now has been prolonged by means of the top of the yr.

“The TLC or the Tenderloin Heart has been the topic of quite a lot of questions and curiosity,” stated Dr. Hillary Kunins with the San Francisco Division of Public Well being.

Metropolis officers know the location has been controversial in order that they invited the media to see inside this outreach clearinghouse.

“When of us come into the area, they’re able to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner,” defined employees member Donna Hilliard. “We have now snacks, we now have water.”

The unique goal of the ability was to hyperlink individuals to providers and that effort continues.

“We are able to allow them to know we now have harm-reduction provides,” Hilliard stated. “However what we like to speak about rather a lot is the detox beds which might be accessible.”

Making these connections has proved troublesome, thus the “linkage” has been de-emphasized whereas principal focus is being positioned on care.

“On no account are we backing away from a pathway to restoration and wellness,” Kunins stated of the title change. “What we’re doing right here is, very importantly, creating an area and stopping individuals from dying.”

Employees say that greater than 80 overdoses have been reversed right here and they’re nonetheless attempting to get extra individuals into therapy.

Proper outdoors the middle, open-air drug use continues. Ending it was one of many mayor’s aims when this middle was introduced late final yr.

“We’re not simply going to stroll by and let somebody who’s utilizing in broad daylight on the streets and never give them a selection between going to the situation we have recognized for them or going to jail,” Mayor London Breed stated in December.

There could also be extra services like this sooner or later. The state is shifting forward with plans for official protected consumption websites and San Francisco want to take part.

“So whereas that is new, for the second, in San Francisco, we’re engaged on many fronts to cease individuals dying of overdose,” Kunins stated.