A new report tracks San Francisco’s progress in the battle to combat homelessness as new Mayor Daniel Lurie takes on one of the city’s oldest concerns.
The study’s positive findings include the fact that thousands of people are receiving assistance in escaping homelessness. The bad news is that the city continues to lose territory in spite of an increasing effort.
The city has spent hundreds of millions of dollars more on homelessness over the last ten years, mostly for additional housing units. However, the number of homeless individuals in the city has been fairly constant over that time, increasing slightly to over 8,300 last year. Many people are frustrated as a result of those results. Why doesn’t the increased housing and income seem to be translating into actual progress?
Sharky Laguana, a member of the San Francisco Homeless Oversight Commission, wants everyone to view this from a different angle. In addition, he has created a new phrase for addressing homelessness with the new data report.
“This is a difficult idea to understand,” Laguana remarked. “More people are being placed in housing than ever before. We’ve set up this shelter and small. This is what we did. That’s what we did. A sense of context is lacking when the public hears all these figures. “Where are we?”
You’re not alone if you’ve ever been lost in the wilderness that is San Francisco’s approach to homelessness. Laguana asked comparable queries.
“When I joined the commission, I told myself, what I wanted to do working on this problem, I don’t wanna get distracted by the trees,” he said. “I want to remain at 60,000 feet and see how these systems interact with one another. Or don’t collaborate with one another.”
In order to make sense of something that might appear to be quite simple, he began requesting numbers from the city as part of his duties as commission data officer.
“How many people are flowing into the system, and how many people are flowing out of it?” was his query. ‘We don’t have that data,’ was the correct response. It’s in several systems.
He has some initial findings—and an idea—after months of compiling data from the city’s numerous agencies.
“You know, I had this concept of a pipe fairly early on,” said Laguana.
He has created a nine-minute report on the city’s homeless system’s operation, using the new figures and the pipe comparison. People are pouring into it. As one might expect, the main conclusion is that more individuals are entering than leaving.
“Really, we’re not gonna get anywhere until we address the amount of water flowing into the pipe, and try to reduce that,” Laguana said. “And, at the same time, we have to figure out how to increase the amount of water flowing out of the pipe.”
He claims that this could make it easier for San Franciscans to comprehend why the city still has a large number of unsheltered homeless people who don’t change all that much despite all of the more funding for all of the new homes.
Laguana remarked, “It just stays the same,” regarding the outcomes. The question, ‘What are we spending all this money on?’ is therefore understandable. How is this situation improving? In actuality, we are seeing an increase in our budgets and an almost one-to-one increase in the number of homeless persons. However, the number of homeless and unsheltered people remains constant. Thus, year after year, we are placing an increasing number of people in dwellings. And it’s effective. As long as budgets keep rising, it is sustainable. Additionally, we continue to locate new dwellings.
This concept of flow is currently a hot topic in the city’s homeless discourse, even receiving a mention from the mayor’s homelessness chief, thanks in part to Laguana’s efforts. However, resolving this issue will become much more difficult for the incoming administration.
“We’re not going to be able to keep up with that increasing number without having an increasing budget,” Laguana stated in reference to the expenses. “And now that the budget is starting to shrink, we need to find ways to accomplish more with less. And it’s a really difficult position to be in.”
You can view the house simulator and the report online.
Eliot Pierce is a dedicated writer for ChiefsFocus.com, covering local crime and finance news. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, Eliot aims to provide his readers with clear and insightful analysis, helping them navigate the complexities of their financial lives while staying informed about important local events. His commitment to delivering accurate and engaging content makes him a valuable resource for the community.