SAN FRANCISCO – “Completely unacceptable, dangerous, reckless,” the words of San Francisco’s District 6 Supervisor Matt Haney on how the city and it’s shelters are using it’s recourses to protect the city’s most vulnerable population – it’s homeless.
District 6 is also known by it’s more informal name, the Tenderloin, which is famous for it’s homeless population. A population that has been a point of contention for some of San Francisco, but now, more than ever, needs our help.
“The city is not moving encampments so you may see more tents or encampments now,” Haney said in a video conference where other San Francisco’s District Supervisors had called in. However, Haney would be the only speaker and he answered many of his constituents’ concerns, including what he and other officials where doing to help those in more dire need.
The Supervisor’s sense of urgency about the matter comes from weeks of non-action from the city and it’s shelters. Haney sited that MSC South, the biggest shelter in Northern California, had only recently heeded his guidelines on physical distancing and had already yielded two COVID-19 cases. His frustrations fueled further by the city closing these facilities doors to any new admittances.
So, if the city has shut down access to any shelters and those facilities are too full to create enough physical distance, what is there to do?
Haney laid out details of what his office, which is working with the Department of Homelessness, is trying to do to combat this crisis.
Firstly, the public representative wants to deploy more public bathrooms and hand washing stations.
“If you’re going to leave people on the streets you need public bathrooms and washing stations everywhere,” Haney said.
He says that he has already acquired more hand washing stations and 15 additional pit-stop style bathrooms, but wants at least 20 more. UN guidelines for refugee camps outlines a minimum of one bathroom to every 50 people, but Haney says that his district doesn’t have, “anything near that.”
The city Emergency Operations Center says Supervisors can request handwashing stations. I'm requesting one on every corner for SOMA & Tenderloin.
This is a public health epidemic–as long as so many people are on the streets, everyone needs an immediate place to wash their hands
— Matt Haney (@MattHaneySF) April 6, 2020
Secondly, his office is pushing for sanctioned “safe camping areas” – such as empty parking lots – in certain parts of the city. Partial street closures were also discussed as a possible solution to help it’s other residence maintain proper distance and to help those who are not able to move their encampments to “safe areas” from busy sidewalks.
Haney has also been pushing for hotels to take in some of this population so that they may properly self-isolate, particularly those who are older or have other sicknesses. The Supervisor was even hoping these could have long-term and rippling effects in the form of lease-to-buy options in some hotels in the city, potentially paving the way for creating self-transitional living situations or even permanent housing.
Haney himself raised $120,000 privately to help transition 17 people from a “crowded Tenderloin shelter” into locals hotels.
This past Saturday, my office secured the funding, services and rooms to move nearly all of the guests of the @HospitalityHous TL shelter to hotel rooms.
This is first group of single adult men moved proactively out of a shelter into rooms during this crisis.
This can be done.
— Matt Haney (@MattHaneySF) April 6, 2020
In his digital town hall the supervisor implored that our public health is only as good as it’s weakest link and that we must do more to help all of our vulnerable populations.
“If this spreads among the people who are unhoused, it will spreads among the people who are housed as well, so this affects the public health of all of us in San Francisco,” Haney said. “When there are some people who cannot [shelter in place] it is much more likely that the virus spreads.”
Haney encouraged his constituents to reach out to his office if you have questions for the representative or want to donate items to help shelters, hospitals, or other essential business at: Haneystaff@sfgov.org .
