Homeless shelters could be coming to neighborhoods around SF with new legislation

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A San Francisco supervisor introduced legislation Wednesday that would expand where the city places shelters and services. But it stops short of mandating a shelter in any particular neighborhood.

Supervisor Bilal Mahmood introduced his One City Shelter Act during a budget and finance committee meeting.

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The act would overhaul how the city addresses homelessness by shifting the focus away from neighborhoods such as the Tenderloin and SoMa, and instead creating a system that addresses the needs of all individual neighborhoods.

"This is a path forward that ensures that we are now taking an evidence-based and data-based approach to delivering shelter, not a political or ideological approach," Mahmood said.

Mahmood says the current situation is unequal for several reasons.

First, he says it makes it harder for unhoused people in some neighborhoods to get care.

And second, by concentrating the majority of services and shelters in a few areas like the Tenderloin, the quality of life for the other people who live and work there also gets impacted.

Mahmood says his plan has received the backing of several homelessness nonprofits and providers.

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"San Francisco has a lot of people who say they want to support services for the homeless, services for mentally ill people, services for people with substance abuse problems, but they want it all in the Tenderloin, or 6th Street, or Bayview but that's not how the city can operate anymore," said Randy Shaw, the director of the Tenderloin Housing Clinic.

Mahmood's proposal has received pushback, including in some neighborhoods like Chinatown, where many are opposed to the possibility of shelters opening up nearby.

Nancy Yu Law says while she supports the legislation in theory, she thinks other areas of the city are more suitable locations.

She thinks most people in the neighborhood would be opposed to the idea.

"This is an international tourist place. It's a very attractive location. We want to show the best images of this city to the world," she said.

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As for Mahmood, though, he thinks an equitable approach to addressing the city's homeless crisis is long overdue.

"I think this is a unique moment in our city's history where we're taking a new approach to tackling a citywide problem," he said.

On Wednesday, the budget and finance committee approved amendments to Mahmood's proposal.

It will now go for a second vote next week before appearing in front of the entire Board of Supervisors.