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Board Committee Advances Revised Shelter Distribution Bill

Endorsed by Mayor Lurie, the measure replaces district quotas with need-based approvals awaiting a full board vote

Tents on the sidewalk along Larkin Street during the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing’s biennial Point-in-Time Count of homeless and unhoused people on the street on Tuesday, Jan 30, 2024 from 8PM to midnight. According to Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, the count covered all 47 square miles of San Francisco and used administrative data for people staying in City shelters, emergency shelters and transitional housing. The final report will include more detailed information about people experiencing homelessness including demographics, veteran status, and chronic homelessness.
Tyler Charlton, who is 11-months sober, walks with his dog Freki as he passes out Narcan, through the Tenderloin in San Francisco in November. The neighborhood has a disproportionate number of homeless shelters, but proposed legislation aims to place more of them in other neighborhoods.
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Overview

  • Supervisor Bilal Mahmood’s amended One City Shelter Act shifts from a district mandate to a data-driven model tying new shelter approvals to neighborhoods with more unsheltered people than existing beds.
  • The required buffer zone between shelters has been cut from 1,000 feet to 300 feet to reduce service clustering in areas like the Tenderloin and SoMa.
  • Lawmakers on the Board of Supervisors’ Budget and Finance Committee approved the revised legislation Wednesday, sending it to the full board for final consideration.
  • Mayor Daniel Lurie publicly backed the compromise framework and committed resources to expand shelter capacity outside oversaturated districts.
  • The bill institutionalizes biennial data reviews and requires a full board vote before adding shelters in neighborhoods already deemed oversaturated.