Ask The Standard addresses the common questions about homelessness in San Francisco.
Which neighborhoods in San Francisco have the most homeless people?
The 2022 census found that more than 7,750 people were homeless in San Francisco and that nearly half — 3,848 — lived in the custodial district where the tenderloin was located. (The boundaries of the oversight districts changed last April after the survey was conducted.)
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The second most homeless district, with 1,115 homeless residents, included Bayview, Potrero Hill and parts of the Outer Mission.
Significantly fewer homeless people live in the western parts of the city. The counties that included the Sunset, Richmond, and Lake Merced neighborhoods had a total of 465 homeless people, just 6% of the city’s total.
Across the street from San Francisco City Hall, plazas have been painted as temporary sanctioned camps for the homeless amid the coronavirus epidemic, seen May 28, 2020. | Liu Guanguan/China News Service via Getty Images
How much money does San Francisco spend on homelessness?
The city’s Department of Homelessness and Assisted Living had a budget of $672 million for fiscal year 2023, which ends June 30. More than 60% of the money goes to housing, while 20% goes to shelters and the rest goes to prevention, outreach, etc. Staffing.
But that’s not the only money the city is spending on homelessness. Other departments — including the Department of Emergency Management, the Fire Department, the Police Department, the Department of Public Health and the Human Services Agency — also invest some of their resources in homeless services by responding to street crises, clearing camps and conducting street outreach, and providing financial ones Support.
Cindy Stubbs, who was recently attacked by another homeless man, is moving her sleeping quarters before SFPD and Public Works arrive on June 3, 2022 to clear the camp in front of the San Francisco Ferry Building. | Camille Cohen/The Standard
Who is homeless in San Francisco?
Of the estimated 7,754 homeless people in the city, as of the 2022 point-in-time census, about 1,100 are under the age of 18 and about 600 are veterans. Around 35% of them have been homeless for at least a year or repeatedly without a home.
Black people — who make up just 6% of the city’s population — make up 38% of homeless residents. In contrast, whites make up more than half of the total population, but make up only 43% of the city’s homeless population. Asians make up 37% of San Francisco residents, but only 6% of the homeless. In a separate question on ethnicity, the survey found that nearly a third of homeless San Franciscans identified as Hispanic or Latino.
The majority of the homeless population is male (62%), while 34% are female, 3% are transgender and 1% identify as gender non-conforming.
A significant portion of the population is homeless later in life. About a quarter of the city’s homeless population is over 51 years old, and around 20% are between 18 and 24 years old.
Elizabeth Lima, 34, watches her daughter Robyn Lima, 3, during drawing class at the Hamilton Families Shelter, 260 Golden Gate Ave, on August 6, 2019. in San Francisco, painting. The drawing course is hosted by DrawBridge. a group that teaches art in homeless shelters. | Yalonda M. James/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images
Which homeless people get shelter in San Francisco?
When deciding who receives shelter or other assistance, the city considers factors such as income or whether the person cares for children, has a substance use disorder, has a criminal record, or has suffered trauma in the past.
Homeless people answer a survey about their story, the hurdles they faced in finding a home, and what might happen to them if they had to live on the streets.
Some have criticized the process as confusing, slow and unreliable as it relies on self-reported data. The Department for Homelessness and Supportive Housing is working on an overhaul of the process based on recommendations from a working group.
Access to shelters can be similarly difficult, as people are typically only admitted under the city’s de-encampment process, which responds to homeless camps on an ad hoc basis – often in response to complaints from neighbors – and ostensibly provides residents with shelter.
Light fills a shared sink during a press tour of the 711 Post St. emergency shelter in San Francisco July 19, 2022. | Benjamin Fanjoy for The Standard
How many people live in city shelters and shelters?
According to the latest report, the city is currently making 12,413 permanent assistance and housing vouchers housing units available to former homeless people, but 825 of those units remain vacant.
The city had difficulty relocating people to vacant rooms either because the housing units were in poor condition or because of problems with the San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing’s prioritization system. The department says it is streamlining the process of moving people to available units.
Considered the city’s most worthy form of public housing, many of the city’s permanent housing units are located in the Tenderloin, SoMa, and Lower Nob Hill neighborhoods. But many of the older buildings housing permanent assisted living have had their problems: customers have complained of rodent infestations, broken elevators that sometimes lock people in their rooms, and a lack of services to combat widespread drug use and mental illness.
The city also has 3,169 emergency shelter beds, which work at 90% occupancy to make room for emergency departments from hospitals and prisons.
Accommodation types range from sites for vehicles and tents to tiny houses and warehouse-style facilities with hundreds of beds in relatively limited space.
Navigation centers, a special type of temporary accommodation, aim to eventually transfer guests to permanent accommodation.
Motivated by the pandemic and with the promise of state and federal refunds, the city began renting private hotels in April 2020 to accommodate those living on the streets. At the peak of the program, the city provided 2,288 rooms in 25 hotels. But the program failed and it ultimately cost the city tens of millions in property damage. However, many advocates have argued that the program has been a success as it has helped 1,667 people make the transition to permanent housing, and some groups are now urging the city to rent more hotels.
Gigi Whitley, a staffer at the Department of Homelessness and Assisted Living, marks a tally as Gregory Clark is in a wheelchair Thursday, January 26, 2017 in San Francisco. | Lea Suzuki/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images
How many people are homeless in San Francisco?
Each night, about 3,400 people sleep in San Francisco’s homeless shelters while about 4,400 sleep on the city’s streets, according to the city’s most recent single night count in February 2022. That’s nearly 7,800 in total.
Data is collected every two years as part of the Department of Homelessness and Assisted Living’s point-in-time census, which is required for the department to receive funding from the federal government.
The census is being conducted by a group of people who travel every block of the city in a single night, counting those who appear to be homeless. The One Night Tally is the primary source of data on the size of the city’s homeless population. Later, the city conducts interviews to get a better understanding of the demographics and backstories of San Francisco’s homeless.
According to the census, overall homelessness has decreased by 3.5% since 2019, although it is still 13% higher than in 2017. Historical data shows that the number of homeless people peaked in 2002, when about 8,600 people lived in the country Street or city shelters lived, which is 11% more than today’s numbers.
The city estimates that more than 20,000 local people become homeless over the course of a year, many for short periods.
