San Francisco to Prioritize Relocation Over Homeless Shelter

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — In San Francisco, the mayor has proposed a new approach to solving the homelessness problem by offering homeless people a place to go back to where they came from.

ABC7 News reporter Luz Pena spoke with the team working on the program about the process and what changes will come in the future.

The relocation assistance program has been operating in San Francisco for 20 years, but has gone through different iterations over the years.

The last one was launched in 2023 under the name “Journey Home” and has since contributed to the overall functioning of the city, leading to the relocation of almost 300 homeless people since January this year.

“This is our van that we use to transport clients from campgrounds to any destination,” said Cheryl Fields, transportation manager for HSH.

A bus ticket from San Francisco before providing shelter or lodging are new guidelines city workers must follow as camp clearance efforts continue.

MORE: San Francisco Mayor London Breed Orders City Workers to Offer Homeless People Bus Passes Before Housing

Fields works with the city’s Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing to transport homeless people to shelters, housing options or Greyhound stations if they have a family member out of town.

Luz Pena: “How often do you take people to Greyhound?”
Cheryl Fields: “It varies from week to week. Sometimes we might do two or three in a week.”

This week, San Francisco Mayor London Breed issued a directive offering exit tickets out of the city in lieu of shelter for out-of-towners.

MORE: SF starts issuing tickets for RVs on public street; resident says city offered plane ticket to leave

This comes after a recent homeless survey found that 40% of people on the streets are not from San Francisco.

The mayor’s executive directive also requires emergency services, including police, firefighters and paramedics, to provide informational materials on the city’s relocation services.

“Talking to the unit, look, it’s going to be really hard to get a bed in a shelter in the city, it’s going to be even harder to get an apartment, but because you’re from somewhere else, we can provide transportation home and hopefully to the support network that’s in the unit’s hometown,” said Trent Rhorer, executive director of the San Francisco Human Services Agency.

Relocation assistance programs have been around for decades. Rhorer says they have proven to be effective.

“With an intervention that costs almost $300 compared to shelter beds that cost $15,000 a year. We’re ending homelessness by reuniting people with their families,” Rhorer said.

MORE: San Francisco homeless encampment cleanup continues: Here’s what happened to one homeless man

Earlier this year, Supervisor Ahsha Safaí authored legislation to expand the city program.

“Two-thirds of the 13,000 people never returned to San Francisco. I think there are a lot of people who are down and come here. They’re looking for support, maybe they’re looking for an environment that’s a little more lenient,” Supervisor Safaí said.

Fields says her team doesn’t just drop people off and go. She says they stay with them.

“We tend to have very deep, engaging conversations with people and find out what their plans are for when they get home. So it’s important that we stay with them until they get on the bus. Just in case they feel overwhelmed,” Fields said.

City officials say their teams have confirmed there will be someone to deal with the person being sent out of the city.

Although the mayor made the announcement on Thursday, Rhorer said it will take time to train street teams for this new specialization.