San Francisco Sun

Mayor London Breed, alongside Supervisors Myrna Melgar and Hillary Ronen, have put forward a proposal aimed at addressing the growing needs of family homelessness in San Francisco. The initiative focuses on increasing the capacity of the city's family shelter system to accommodate the rising number of families in need of emergency support.

According to Mayor London Breed, "San Francisco has made significant strides in addressing family homelessness over the last several years, but right now we are seeing the need for more emergency support and we are responding." The Mayor emphasized the importance of expanding emergency shelter to meet the growing demand.

Supervisor Myrna Melgar expressed her eagerness for the shelter capacity to increase, especially for newcomer families, stating, "I am eager to see our shelter capacity increase, especially for children and families who have come to our City in hopes of finding the American Dream." Melgar highlighted the need to ensure that all families, including newcomers, have a place to call home in San Francisco.

Supervisor Hillary Ronen addressed the crisis of homeless families in the city, noting the increase in children sleeping on the streets. Ronen acknowledged the efforts of City departments in devising a plan to tackle the crisis and commended the advocacy and leadership of community groups in addressing the emergency.

The proposal includes strategies to expedite the transition of families from shelter to longer-term housing options and reallocate funds to open a new family shelter. This move aims to create additional emergency space for families in dire need while also developing long-term housing solutions. San Francisco currently provides 337 units of family shelter and transitional housing, along with over 2,300 units of family housing in the Homelessness Response System.

The Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA) is collaborating with the Mayor's Office to assess the response strategy for migrants arriving in the city. As part of this effort, the City has increased community-based newcomer case management, asylum seeker legal support, and is piloting a Hosted Housing program to match newcomers with available private housing.

The Immigrant Rights Commission Chair, Celine Kennelly, expressed gratitude for the expansion of services to support immigrant newcomers and their families. Kennelly emphasized the vulnerability of refugee migrants upon arrival and the importance of providing timely wraparound services to meet their needs.

The proposed increase in family shelter capacity in San Francisco reflects a collaborative effort to address the pressing issue of family homelessness and ensure that all individuals and families in the city have access to essential support and resources.