The City and County of San Francisco is making significant strides towards a new policy aimed at distributing shelters, transitional beds, and behavioral health facilities more equitably across its neighborhoods.
This week, the Board of Supervisors advanced an ordinance authored by Supervisor Bilal Mahmood. The ordinance proposes temporary bans on new city-funded shelters and treatment centers in neighborhoods that already have a surplus of open shelter and transitional beds compared to the local homeless population.
Additionally, it seeks to prevent the establishment of new shelters and behavioral health facilities within 300 feet of one another.
While these restrictions can be circumvented with a waiver from the Board of Supervisors, they do not extend to privately funded facilities. There are also exceptions outlined for families receiving state or city housing support and for proposed facilities in neighborhoods that have experienced a loss of shelter space within the past year.
The amendment, known as the One City Shelter Act, marks the first set of restrictions on shelters within neighborhoods designated for their use. Co-sponsored by four other supervisors, the ordinance passed with a 9-2 vote. Supervisors Connie Chan and Chyanne Chen opposed it.
The ordinance emerges in response to the uneven distribution of shelters across San Francisco. Mahmood highlighted during the presentation that over 1,000 homeless individuals are spread across 30 neighborhoods that lack adequate access to nearby shelters or care, while a staggering 75% of existing shelter beds are concentrated in only eight neighborhoods, including the Tenderloin, SoMa, and Lower Nob Hill.
“This kind of imbalance sends a message, whether intentional or not, that only a few neighborhoods are expected to shoulder the city’s response to a citywide crisis,” Mahmood said, emphasizing the need for a balanced approach that serves all residents of San Francisco.
He further noted the significance of revitalizing neighborhoods like the Tenderloin, pointing out that it serves as a central hub for the city’s broader revitalization efforts.
Chan expressed her support for a moratorium on new shelters in neighborhoods deemed oversaturated but criticized other aspects of the ordinance as being too prescriptive.
Meanwhile, Chen advocated for longer-term solutions, such as transitional housing, rather than restrictions on new shelters.
However, proponents of the ordinance believe it represents a necessary shift in how the city allocates care resources, breaking from past practices. Supervisor Myrna Melgar of District 7 articulated this sentiment before the vote, stating that the ordinance offers flexibility to cater to the diverse needs of different districts, rather than forcing a uniform set of services across all areas.
Melgar pointed out that her district, which includes the Inner Sunset area, has seen an increase in need due to escalated police enforcement in SoMa and the Tenderloin, pushing many individuals further away from essential care and services.
She acknowledged the previous lack of recognition regarding the imbalance in resource distribution and reinforced the need for equitable solutions that would address both communities with a surplus of resources and others that require significant support.
The ordinance has garnered support from various community development and nonprofit organizations, including the Tenderloin Community Benefit District. Executive Director Kate Robinson remarked on the need to address the decades-long pattern of overconcentration of shelters in the Tenderloin.
Robinson stated, “While our neighborhood has always embraced a spirit of compassion, the decades-long pattern of overconcentration—paired with an absence of citywide planning—has deeply strained our local infrastructure, hindered economic development, and challenged the overall well-being of both housed and unhoused residents.”
The proposed changes will require a second vote in September to come into effect, with an anticipated start date of January 1, should it receive final approval. Notably, the restrictions will sunset at the end of 2031, prompting the city to reevaluate their effectiveness over time.
This initiative brings to light a significant shift in San Francisco’s approach to tackling homelessness and mental health assistance by striving to create a balanced system that distributes resources equitably, thereby ensuring that all neighborhoods share in the responsibility of addressing these pressing citywide issues.
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