by David Sjostedt : sfstandard – excerpt
Supervisor Connie Chan wants to address homelessness in San Francisco by sending some people living on the city’s streets to shelter, housing and health-care facilities in other counties.
The proposal, which is included as part of Chan’s “Equitable Recovery Plan,” aims to address the city’s inability to meet local demand for shelter and housing by sharing social services with other Bay Area counties. The proposal comes as the city grapples with deteriorating street conditions and a $728 million budget deficit over the next two years.
Chan told The Standard that she hopes a regional approach would allow some people to receive housing and other services faster and cheaper than they would in San Francisco. The option to accept services in another county would be made by the individual, she said.
“If they say they want to wait to [receive housing] in San Francisco, of course, we’re going to do whatever we can to help them,” Chan said. “But it’s not compassion for them to be left out on the streets.”…(more)