On April 21, RescueSF supporters, along with small business owners, spoke in support of "A Place for All" (APA) as a means to end street sleeping in the near term. After several hours of comment, the committee -- Supervisors Haney, Safai, and Mar -- voted to approve amendments from Supervisor Mandelman to clarify items. All three members of the committee voted to hold the item at the committee level and not move it to the full Board for a vote. This move effectively stalls the legislation.
Interestingly, supporters and opponents of APA did agree on many points about our current situation, including:
Sleeping on the street is unhealthy, unsafe, and inhumane
Permanent housing is the solution to homelessness
Proposition C and recent state and federal assistance provide our City with more funding than ever before to get people housed
The SF Chronicle’s story, “S.F. debates controversial homeless proposal to make city provide shelter to all,” details the major points from the meeting. The story not covered in the Chronicle is even more interesting. It’s the story of residents who have compassion for those suffering on the streets and who are frustrated by the City’s inability to address the crisis.
In the run-up to the hearing, RescueSF spoke with many community leaders, their boards, and their memberships about “A Place for All.” Hundreds of people wrote to their supervisors, and scores of people waited on a phone line to speak in support of APA. This effort engaged many more residents in thinking and talking about practical solutions to homelessness.
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