San Francisco's streets are witnessing the lowest number of tents and structures since the city began keeping track in 2018, hitting a new low in April 2024, officials from San Francisco announced in a press release. The average tent count rate of 2024 has been touted as a success by the Healthy Streets Operation Center (HSOC), which spearheads the outreach to homeless encampments.
"2024 has the lowest average tent count rate of any year since the City started quarterly counts," the City of San Francisco press release started.
According to the city's data, the encounters made by HSOC outreach teams during 242 operations this year resulted in offers of shelter being accepted 460 times. However, despite the priority given in the number of tents on the streets, a recent audit, reported by the Chronicle criticized San Francisco’s Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing for shortcomings in tracking finances and leaving housing units vacant. While hundreds of permanent supportive housing units were left unoccupied, the department failed to utilize $73 million of grant money budgeted for 130 contracts.
Mayor London Breed, facing a stiff challenge in her reelection bid, has touted the reduction in tents, with figures showing a 37% decrease last quarter, as per an interview with KRON4. Despite this, the Coalition on Homelessness challenges the mayor’s office, claiming revenue from the 2018 tax measure Prop C, which the mayor initially opposed, is behind the reduction.
Significant investments have been made by the city in recent years, with the homelessness department's budget rising from $284 million in the 2018-19 fiscal year to $676 million in 2022-23. The Budget and Legislative Analyst’s 99-page audit calls for better tracking of spending and vacant units, lambasting the department for a lack of standardized performance monitoring for contractors.
Amid assertions of progress in the city's battle against homelessness, there remains a tug of war over accountability and results. While the 2023 five-year plan approved by the city saw enhancements in the tracking system used to place people into housing and the creation of the Homelessness Oversight Commission, achieving the goal of significantly reducing unsheltered homelessness continues to be an elusive target. As San Francisco prepares for elections, the voters' judgment on these efforts stands as the ultimate measure of the city's response to the continuing crisis on its streets.
