For years, San Francisco has experienced a severely large homeless population, with current spikes in the districts of the Tenderloin and the Mission. Over time, going back to 2019, there has been a 3.5 percent decrease in the total number of homeless in San Francisco, going from 8,035 down to 7,754 as of December 2023, according to The San Francisco Examiner.
Although there is a decrease in the number of homeless people, many residents still do not notice a difference. Riordan Security member Scott Chiesa said, “It is an unfortunate situation and it is tough that such a big city has a large population of homeless.
The main causes of homelessness in San Francisco known to date are job loss, alcohol and drug use, and the COVID-19 pandemic. San Francisco is known to have an extremely high cost of living, with housing alone being 202 percent more expensive than the United States average, according to RentCafe.
With increased job loss, especially after the global pandemic and a very high cost of living, many residents of San Francisco are struggling financially to pay rent and find a place to live. With San Francisco being a mere 49 square miles, this overall results in a high population of homeless people within a given area.
There are many different homeless shelters in San Francisco. According to the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, San Francisco has 9,105 permanent supportive housing units, and its shelters have the capacity to contain 3,240 people, but the city still has 4,400 unhoused residents, meaning that this issue may go beyond just having enough room for the homeless.
This crisis goes deeper than not having enough shelters to house all of the homeless; it also involves the difficult process of getting the homeless off the streets and helping them consistently have a roof over their heads.
In terms of San Francisco’s homeless situation, there is a great deal of controversy over how Mayor London Breed has dealt with the situation. Although she has put laws into place to lessen the number of homeless, such as anti-camping laws, some San Francisco residents do not believe she is doing enough. San Francisco mayoral candidate Daniel Lurie has also publicly spoken out about his opinions on how current mayor London Breed has dealt with these pressing issues. In his campaign he has focused with great emphasis on his intention to help resolve the city’s homelessness and drug crisis.
To fix these, the city government should prioritize tackling the current drug dealing and overdose crisis within areas most affected by homelessness, such as within the Tenderloin, through creating accessible addiction treatment and arresting drug dealers. Likewise, the city should further incentivize the development of affordable, low income housing units, rather than luxury condominiums, especially in communities where families are likely to struggle with keeping up with rising costs. Furthermore, the city should create more resume building and training opportunities that result in jobs for the homeless–a step towards providing for themselves and keeping people off the streets.
