Beloved Village Calls for Real Solutions to the Homelessness Problem, Not for Abandoning “Hope”

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Alex Volpe, executive director of Beloved Village, a homeless advocacy group, slammed San Francisco Mayor London Breed and Gov. Gavin Newsom for their announced plans to clear homeless encampments in California and San Francisco.

Volpe, whose organization Beloved Village addresses youth homelessness and instability in California, condemned Mayor Breed’s plan to conduct a “very aggressive raid” on homeless encampments in San Francisco.

Volpe believes this approach will only temporarily hide the problem and will not address the root causes of homelessness.

“Clearing camps leads to arrests and prisons for people who are struggling to make ends meet. But what does that solve? The camps always come back in new places,” Volpe said.

He stressed that adding a criminal record to the existing problems of homeless people will not help them find employment or housing.

Volpe shared his personal experiences, stating, “I have personally spent decades working with young people who have been ostracized and treated like criminals, despite the fact that they are homeless and trying to find food for their younger siblings.”

He emphasized the transformative impact of stable housing and resources on these young people.

Volpe noted that communities with high housing costs, such as the San Francisco Bay Area, also have high rates of homelessness, leading to increases in petty crime and visible street life.

Volpe said effective policies should focus on creating housing options and economic opportunity, not just relocating homeless people and burdening them with fines and arrest records.

Volpe called on Mayor Breed and Governor Newsom to invest in real solutions like the programs offered by Beloved Village, saying these programs, which provide comprehensive resources for young women, transgender youth and their families, have been proven to reduce homelessness.

“Criminalizing and punishing homeless people is unethical, inhumane, and fiscally irresponsible. Cities pay far more to arrest, incarcerate, and prosecute homeless people than they do to provide them with affordable housing and support services,” Volpe added.

Beloved Village, an initiative founded in 2020 by the Young Women’s Freedom Center, builds community-based housing solutions for girls, women, and transgender people who have faced the dangers of street life, as well as incarceration and poverty.

Beloved partners with communities across California to develop innovative housing and resource solutions that promote economic mobility and a future free from systems disruption.

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Alex Volpe Beloved Village Beloved Village Calls for Real Solutions for Homeless Communities Governor Gavin Newsom Existing Problems of the Homeless Population Impoverishment Incarceration Not Giving Up on “Hope” San Francisco Mayor London Breed Young Women’s Freedom Center