San Francisco gets new homelessness chief as city closes multiple shelter sites

By Kenny Choi

San Francisco is preparing to shut down one of its largest homeless shelters, even as city leaders promise a new approach to tackling the crisis.

The closure of the nearly 300-bed site at 711 Post Street, on the edge of the Tenderloin and Lower Nob Hill, is raising concerns about whether the city is losing shelter capacity faster than it can replace it.

For people like Isaiah Jefferson, the site has been a critical lifeline.

“It’s a place to lay down at night rather than being on the streets,” Jefferson said.

Jefferson, who has been homeless for several years, says the shelter offered a safer and more stable environment than others he’s stayed in.

“The shelter I was at before, it was like a big gymnasium with 40 or 50 people. This is definitely a step up,” he said.

But advocates warn the timing of the closure could further strain an already stretched system, and it’s part of a broader trend.

Two other shelter sites have recently closed, and the city is on track to lose more than 450 shelter beds citywide.

“This is unprecedented,” said Jennifer Friedenbach with the Coalition on Homelessness. “This is now the third building in this administration that is being shut down solely because of neighbor complaints, and this is really unheard of.”

At the same time, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie is bringing in new leadership to reshape the city’s response.

The mayor has appointed Mike Levine, a healthcare policy expert from Massachusetts, to lead the city’s Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing.

Levine says the focus will be on moving people more quickly into stable, long-term housing.

“The key metric is whether or not we are quickly and sustainably moving people into a stable and independent environment,” Levine said. “That looks different for each of the roughly 8,000 individuals in San Francisco experiencing homelessness.”

The strategy also emphasizes integrating housing with mental health care and addiction treatment.

Mayor Lurie introduced Levine at 33 Gough Street, a site featuring small, temporary housing units along the Market Street corridor near Hayes Valley. 

The mayor’s office also pointed to recent data showing the number of tents in San Francisco has dropped 37% over the past year, reaching a record low.

“Over this past year, more services have been added to help residents living with complex needs, including mental health illness, chronic physical health issues or addiction,” said Lurie. 

Still, for people directly impacted by the closure, the concern is immediate.

“With anything government funded, you always want to keep a Plan B,” Jefferson said. “They can take it away from you at any given moment.”

Jefferson says he is not struggling with addiction, but like thousands of others in San Francisco, he is still searching for stable work and permanent housing.

With the shelter set to close, he’s unsure where he’ll go next.