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San Francisco Expands Restore Program as Overdose Deaths Climb

City officials plan to increase treatment shelter beds to combat rising fentanyl-related fatalities, which have reached a year-long high.

Multiple used NARCAN nasal sprays sit on the ground where the product was administered to an individual in San Francisco in June 2023. According to preliminary figures released by the city on Wednesday, accidental drug overdose deaths rose for the fourth straight month in San Francisco after showing a promising decline in 2024.
Volunteer EMT Eli Smith helps to revive a man who overdosed and was given Narcan by his friend who received it from a pop-up overdose prevention site in San Francisco in August 2023. According to preliminary figures released by the city on Wednesday, accidental drug overdose deaths rose for the fourth straight month in San Francisco after showing a promising decline in 2024.
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Overview

  • San Francisco recorded 65 overdose deaths in March 2025, marking the fourth consecutive monthly increase and bringing the total to 192 deaths in the first quarter of the year.
  • Fentanyl was implicated in the vast majority of these fatalities, with 52 deaths in March alone, the highest monthly total in over a year.
  • The city announced plans to expand the Restore program from 35 to 73 beds in the coming months, with a long-term goal of reaching 150–200 beds across multiple sites.
  • Restore provides short-term shelter and addiction treatment, requiring participants to engage in daily case management with a 50% success rate of transitioning clients to further services.
  • Officials emphasize addressing root causes such as untreated addiction, mental health issues, and homelessness while acknowledging challenges in scaling capacity and maintaining drug-free environments.