San Francisco Sun

San Francisco Mayor London N. Breed revealed today that the city's quarterly tent count has reached a five-year low, showing significant progress in assisting individuals off the streets and maintaining cleaner neighborhoods. The latest count in April reported a total of 360 tents and structures across the city, marking a 41% decrease from the previous count in July 2023.

Highlighting key statistics from the April count, it was reported that out of the 360 tents and structures identified, 182 were tents and 178 were structures. Notably, there were only 9 encampments with 5 or more tents/structures citywide, with no encampments exceeding 10 tents/structures at the time of the count.

Mayor London Breed commended the efforts of the city's outreach workers and encampment teams, stating, "We are continuing to use all of the resources we have and working to add more, but there is a lot more to do. We will be relentless in our efforts to help people into safer, supportive facilities, and make our neighborhoods cleaner and healthier for everyone."

Mary Ellen Carroll, Executive Director of the Department of Emergency Management, praised the work of the Healthy Streets Operations Center (HSOC) in connecting individuals living in encampments with shelter and housing, emphasizing the team's dedication to assisting unsheltered residents transition into safer environments.

The reduction in tent numbers has been attributed to increased efforts in offering shelter and housing to individuals as well as conducting citywide clean-up operations. The Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing has actively added new shelter beds and filled vacant units in permanent supportive housing, resulting in a decrease in the vacancy rate to the target of 7.1%.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals' clarification in September allowed San Francisco to enforce certain laws when shelter offers are refused, leading to a sustained reduction in tent and structure numbers as part of the city's ongoing efforts.

San Francisco's average tent count rate in 2024 is reported to be the lowest since the city began conducting tent counts in 2018, with the Healthy Streets Operations Center playing a crucial role in outreach efforts. In 2024 alone, the city's encampment outreach teams conducted 242 operations, making 1530 encounters with individuals, resulting in 460 shelter offers being accepted, 924 being refused, and 145 individuals already being sheltered or housed.

The city remains dedicated to its mission of providing assistance to those in need and ensuring the safety and cleanliness of public spaces for all residents.