An interview with the controversial San Francisco company accountable for conducting homeless sweeps

Between June 2020 and June 2021, San Francisco passed 679 “camp resolutions” used by city officials to describe the evacuation of homeless camps in the city.

The department that implements these “resolutions” is known as the Healthy Streets Operations Center (HSOC), a multidisciplinary multi-agency effort that is highly controversial among homeless rights activists in the city.

“What we have seen over and over again is that HSOC operations are not followed,” wrote Jennifer Friedenbach, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness San Francisco, in a recent Street Sheet article titled “When Tents Are Removed There.” there is no way “. Home. “” But even if they were, the HSOC’s approach is highly problematic, traumatic and likely to make homelessness worse.

Friedenbach said that while HSOC says it won’t do sweeps unless it has enough services to serve the people, “that’s just not the case”.

“They may have protective beds … but living in a common room doesn’t work for a lot of people,” she said. “These people may not want to share an interior space with hundreds of people.”

In Street Sheet, Friedenbach calls for the dismantling of HSOC, arguing that a “compassionate alternative response to homelessness that is not an institutional answer,” “fully equipped to work with people and try to meet their needs,” should take their place should kick.

The city now has HSOC. SFGATE wanted to understand what exactly its goals are and how it wants to achieve them. To understand the controversial agency, SFGATE spoke to Mary Ellen Carroll, executive director of the emergency management department that coordinates the city’s response to the camps of the homeless.

What is the aim of the “liquidation of the camp”?

Carroll said the primary goal of “camp resolutions” is to provide services to people on the street, but that is not the only goal.

“We also try to create security, which also means hygiene and cleanliness,” she added.

The overall purpose, especially during COVID-19, is to “make the road safe for everyone. … Children deserve safe access to school or business, and it is important to us to ensure safety for all of us. “

Who usually clears stores?

The Healthy Street Operations team is clearing the warehouse. The team consists of the Homelessness and Supportive Housing Department, Public Health Department, Emergency Management Department, Public Works Department, San Francisco Police Department, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, and San Francisco Recreation and Park. The fire brigade is also on duty when a paramedic is needed.

Who exactly will order the evacuation of an area?

The HSOC arranges warehouse clearings in cooperation with the above-mentioned offices.

Who decides where and when a warehouse is cleared?

HSOC regularly conducts tent and vehicle counts and examines camps with six or more tents, Carroll said.

“With this information, we will develop a schedule for developing inventory releases,” she said.

She said “there are all sorts of things” that determine where camps are on this schedule, including whether a school or daycare center opens nearby and is “at risk” or a construction project is about to break.

“In general, we look at the greatest and those that pose the greatest risk to people in the area,” said Carroll.

Carroll said HSOC is also tracking 911 and 311, “so in a way we are tracking hotspots around the city and seeing if they match the list we have and what we know from our road operations.”

Are those involved specially trained?

Mostly yes. The team consists of members of EMS-6, the main paramedic unit for the ambulance service, including a paramedic who is trained in street medicine. Clinical social workers from the San Francisco Department of Public Health are also involved.

All other non-clinical workers have training that includes police officers and people from public works on the street.

“Everyone in this field has experience at different levels,” said Carroll.

How big is the team that clears a warehouse on a particular call?

The size of the team depends on this, but usually ranges from four to eight people. Typically it is a core group of a paramedic and homeless team members (two to four people).

Later, a group comes to remove any items left behind, usually made up of two to six people with two policemen.

Which places are evacuated most often?

Carroll said there are “certain areas” that require frequent attention, including the alleyways on Van Ness Avenue.

“There are certain areas where we’ve gone back more than 20 times,” she said. “We were able to successfully keep some areas free from camps, but not others.”

When does the city not get away with a “dissolution”?

“One [scenario] We’re going to a solution with say 10 beds, but there are 12 people who want these services. Then we would stop the breakup, ”said Carroll.

Friedenbach denied this claim. “It’s just not true,” she said.

“When we looked at the FOIA inquiries, we found that they had a number of people in the camp and not the right number of accommodations. We also know that from observations, ”she said.

Carroll said it was “important to understand that we must obey the law, which means we cannot find a solution without having an alternative option for the person on the street.”

What if people don’t want the services offered?

Carroll said if there are 10 beds and only five people show interest, the remaining people will be asked to pack their belongings and move out of the area. This was confirmed by Friedenbach.

Currently, people can stay in shelters “indefinitely,” according to Deborah Bouck of the San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing.

“We have been subject to an automatic residence extension policy since the beginning of the pandemic,” she said via email.

Will people’s property be taken away during the trial?

Carroll said the people’s property will not be taken from them; However, if they go to emergency shelters, they will be asked to leave tents.

If someone declines to provide services, their tent won’t be taken away, Carroll said.

Friedenbach told SFGATE that this is not always the case. Sweeps are typically done between 7am and 10am or 11am, and during this time not everyone is able to pack fast enough, forcing them to leave their belongings behind.

“You have to crawl and pack quickly,” she said. “We often see people who are older and cannot move as quickly, or they have a limited mental function, a developmental disorder. … You can imagine how difficult it is to get everything together so quickly. ”

What resources are available for HSOC?

“I think some of that isn’t that much money, but the challenge was having the resources that people are more likely to love,” said Carroll. “Safe sleep [city-sanctioned tent sites] while COVID was created and we still have, and that is a very popular resource for people. Collective accommodation is probably the least popular. It’s not a secret. “

The resources that flow into the HSOC include beds in emergency shelters, safe sleeping places, navigation centers and treatment beds, among others. There is staff in every department.

Aside from one HSOC manager, “there isn’t a big budget or really a dedicated budget,” Carroll said.

In the 2020-2021 budget proposed by Mayor London Breed, she called for the HSOC to be allocated US $ 4 million over two years to “maintain existing services in the participating departments, with substantial new funding for additional staff at HSH and the Ministry of Health to be provided”.

Do you have any questions about homeless sweeps? Send them to SFGATE reporter Michelle Robertson at michelle.robertson@sfgate.com.