SF supervisor says city’s $1.45B budget plan to end homelessness won’t work

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — San Francisco Supervisor Rafael Mandelman didn’t mince phrases throughout a sit-down interview with ABC7 Information on Wednesday, speaking concerning the metropolis’s housing plan for the homeless.

Earlier within the week, Mandelman known as on the Board of Supervisors to have a particular assembly to debate the report issued on the finish of final 12 months by the Division of Homelessness and Supportive Housing.

“We spend an enormous amount of cash on this metropolis, not fixing this drawback,” Mandelman mentioned.

The report was meant to be a direct plan of execution after the Board of Supervisors voted in June of 2022 to have town supply all homeless individuals within the metropolis a protected place to sleep.

SF supervisors vote to create plan providing housing to each homeless particular person in metropolis

It suggests spending almost $1.5 billion over the subsequent three years along with the cash already anticipated to be spent.

That comes out to about $70,000 per shelter mattress per 12 months, based on Mandelman.

“That simply looks like approach an excessive amount of to me. It is greater than different communities spend on shelter,” mentioned Mandelman.

Mandelman thinks a few of what’s proposed is wasteful and says town can do away with encampments for much less.

MORE: Homelessness depend rises in California regardless of staying regular nationwide, report finds

And Mandelman definitely is not alone. He tells me that high quality of life points similar to homelessness are a prime concern for each metropolis residents and companies.

Randy Shaw is the director of the Tenderloin Housing Clinic.

He says he agrees with a lot of Mandelman’s ideas and believes town ought to lower down on the pink tape surrounding the difficulty.

MORE: SF closes Tenderloin Middle. What’s subsequent for 400+ individuals who obtained companies on a regular basis?

“We’ve an emergency state of affairs. We do not have the posh to say, ‘Properly this luxurious over 10 years shall be a greater funding’. We received to get individuals housed now,” mentioned Shaw.

Mandelman maintains that town can finish unsheltered homelessness on our streets with the precise plan and funding.

However he says, for now, extra work must be carried out.

“I feel individuals are leaving. I feel companies are leaving. I feel vacationers are staying away. And I feel we have now to deal with this drawback on our streets,” Mandelman mentioned.

If you happen to’re on the ABC7 Information app, click on right here to observe dwell