San Francisco Sun

San Francisco, CA — Mayor London N. Breed today issued the Journey Home Executive Directive to prioritize relocation support and services for people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco. The directive mandates all City Departments and staff to offer relocation assistance before providing any other city services, including housing and shelter.

Mayor Breed has expanded the Journey Home program and additional relocation support services that cover return travel expenses in recent years, including the Problem Solving Relocation Assistance and County Adult Assistance Program (CAAP) Relocation Assistance programs.

The directive provides comprehensive guidance to departments such as the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH), Human Services Agency (HSA), and Department of Public Health (DPH). It requires city staff who engage with homeless individuals to offer access to relocation assistance programs first. First responders will be provided with handouts detailing the city's relocation services and contact information. Additionally, a tracking system will be established to measure each program's effectiveness.

The 2024 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count revealed an increase in homelessness among people arriving from outside San Francisco compared to previous counts. Forty percent of surveyed individuals came from another California county or out of state, up from 28% in 2019. Furthermore, 37% had been living in San Francisco for less than a year before becoming homeless, up from 15% in 2019. Conversely, long-term residents who became homeless decreased significantly.

“San Francisco continues to be committed to investing in effective programs that offer services to help reconnect people living on our streets with their homes as part of our ongoing efforts to address homelessness here in our city,” said Mayor Breed. “While we will always lead with compassion and we have made significant expansions in housing and shelter, we cannot solve everyone’s individual housing and behavioral health needs. We’ve made significant progress in housing many long-time San Franciscans who became homeless, but we are seeing an increase in people in our data who are coming from elsewhere. Today’s order will ensure that all our city departments are leveraging our relocation programs to address this growing trend.”

Journey Home offers travel assistance and temporary shelter for people experiencing homelessness or substance use disorders under one umbrella through the Drug Market Agency Coordination Center (DMACC). Since 2005, San Francisco has provided relocation services through its Homeward Bound program, which was replaced by HSH's Problem Solving Relocation Assistance program launched in July 2022.

“Relocation and reunification services are a critical component of our Homelessness Response System,” said Shireen McSpadden, executive director of the Department of Homelessness Supportive Housing. “This compassionate and effective resource in our system has reconnected thousands of people experiencing homelessness with their stabilizing networks of family and friends.”

“The San Francisco Human Services Agency is committed to connecting our clients who are experiencing homelessness with the services they need,” said Trent Rhorer, Executive Director of HSA. “Sometimes the most effective service that HSA can provide to our homeless clients is paying for their travel to reconnect them with their families or support networks in the city they used to live.”

Since taking office in 2018, Mayor Breed has significantly expanded San Francisco’s homelessness response system, leading to a reduction in street homelessness over ten years. Under her leadership, shelter beds have increased by over 60%, housing slots for formerly homeless individuals by over 50%, along with adding 400 behavioral health treatment beds.