SAN FRANCISCO -- Sidewalks once teeming with tents, tarps and people passed out next to heaps of trash have largely disappeared from great swathes of San Francisco, a city widely known for its visible homeless population.The number of people sleeping outdoors dropped to under 3,000 in January, the lowest the city has recorded in a decade, according to a federal count.And that figure has likely dropped even lower since Mayor London Breed — a Democrat in a difficult reelection fight this November — started ramping up enforcement of anti-camping laws in August following a U.S.Supreme Court decision.
Homelessness in no way has gone away, and in fact grew 7%, to 8,300 in January, according to the same federal count.But the problem is now notably out of the public eye, raising the question of where people have gone and whether the change marks a turning point in a crisis long associated with San Francisco.
“We’re seeing much cleaner sidewalks,” said Terry Asten Bennett, owner of Cliff’s Variety store in the city’s historically gay Castro neighborhood, adding that she hates to see homeless people shuffled around.“But also, as a business owner, I need clean, inviting streets to encourage people to come and shop and visit our city," she said.
Advocates for homeless people say encampment sweeps that force people off the streets are an easy way to hide homelessness from public view.“Shelter should always be transitional,” said Lukas Illa, an organizer with San Francisco's Coalition on Homelessness.“We shouldn’t have folks be in there as the long-lasting solution.”Other California cities have also reported a drop in visible homelessness, thanks to improved outreach and more temporary housing.
The beach city of Santa Cruz reported a 49% decline in people sleeping unsheltered this year, while Los Angeles recorded a 10% drop.San Francisco has increased the number of shelter beds and permanent supportive housing units by more than 50% over the past si...