In the past few years in San Francisco, homlessness has been a huge issue for the city. Wealth disparity in the Bay Area has been caused by the tech industry boom and the influx of wealthy individuals moving in through the years. In addition, the pandemic has added another layer to the homeless population crisis. According to Sfgov.org, “the last count of the homeless population was 8,035 as of 2019.Moreover, the effects of the pandemic removing jobs and stable incomes that number has been added onto this count and has affected the homeless population in many ways.

On March 17, 2020 Mayor London Breed announced the regional shut-down order. This resulted in businesses and other places providing services to homeless individuals to close. Homeless shelters were not able to accept new guests and had to reduce their capacity by 76% because of social distancing guidelines. This resulted in an increase in the number of tents by 71%, and in the Tenderloin the number of tents increased by 258%. According to the San Francisco department of public health “from March 30, 2020 to May 24, 2020, there was a report of 48 individuals facing homelessness died”. 

Most individuals look at the homeless as drug addicts, without having any understanding of what they are going through. Some homeless individuals are dealing with mental health issues or other underlying health problems. They are left in the street by the city with no solutions and no help provided to help them recover. While the city tried to combat Covid and prevent the spread, the measures that were put into place had effects on the homeless. Breed has consistently said they have offered housing to the homeless and help, however that isn’t the case with every individual that is either displaced or dealt with. 

So how has Mayor London Breed tried to solve the homelessness crisis? Solutions that were posted were temporary housing in hotel rooms for 1,730 people as reported by the San Francisco Guardian. Mayor London Breed introduced the Homelessness Recovery Plan. The plan details 6,000 placements and would see the city acquire 1,500 permanent housing units by the year 2023. In addition, the plan also provides rental vouchers for individuals recently homeless and spending 30% of their income on rent. In addition, funds are expected to come from the 2018 measure that taxes wealthy companies.

However, waiting until 2023 is not possible for those already dealing with the effects of the pandemic and for those that have been homeless recently. There are always promises to complete plans by certain years, but even with the 2018 measure that money was not seen until this year. The time to help the homeless is now and we need to enact positive change now.

We, the people, call on London Breed to enact this Homelessness Recovery Plan at the end of 2021 or start of 2022. The plan should also include helping homeless individuals with mental or underlying health issues get the proper help they need. City officials and officers should also treat the homeless as human beings and be considerate when engaging with them on the street. It’s time for San Francisco to do its part in helping the homeless. 

Please show support and spread word about this petition. As a person who has grown up in the Bay Area and still lives in the Bay Area, it’s time the city does its part to help. So many elected officials promise to help the homeless, but every year nothing gets down and it seems like the homeless population continues to grow. Instead of addressing the homeless and providing them with help, the city uses that money to build even more buildings or overpriced apartments. It's time elected officials enact meaningful and lasting change so that this homelessness crisis finally gets resolved. 

Source:Guardian News and Media. (2021, April 14). San Francisco has money and a new plan to tackle homelessness. will it finally change things? The Guardian. Retrieved October 11, 2021, from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/apr/14/san-francisco-homelessness-funding-covid-19 

Source:Guardian News and Media. (2020, May 29). San Francisco's homeless deaths have tripled. advocates blame city neglect during pandemic. The Guardian. Retrieved October 11, 2021, from https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/may/29/san-francisco-homeless-deaths-coronavirus