San Francisco, CA
San Francisco slashes homeless outreach team budget
In March, the most recent month of immediately available data, HEART responded to 1,303 incidents, or 98% of calls the team received. But of those incidents, 700 were considered settled because the person was “gone on arrival,” and 125 were referred to the police, the Department of Public Works, the Emergency Medical Services Agency or another street team run by the city.
According to the March data, HEART placed one person in a shelter, referred four to an emergency shelter and placed two in a triage center. The team also resolved 210 American Disability Act violations, meaning encampments were moved to make space for pedestrians.
In a statement, the Department of Emergency Management and Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing said HEART completed more than 1,000 needs assessments and connected over 700 people to “benefits including shelter” with a team of 24 people.