San Francisco clinics that serve youth community to close over city budget cuts, workers say

By CBS Bay Area

Sophia Padilla lives by her mission to serve the community. She has been working at the Michael Baxter Larkin Street Clinic, which serves youth between 18 and 25, for nearly three years. But soon, that will change. 

“It’s important to speak out for the youth whose access to these things are being taken away, reduced and honestly said to be unimportant because I really value the youth that I work with,” Padilla told CBS News Bay Area. “And I hope that they can continue to get the services that they need.”

Earlier this month, Padilla said her supervisor told her that the clinic, along with Cole Street Youth Clinic, will shut down this summer due to city budget cuts. 

“San Francisco has tried to position itself as a city that supports its most vulnerable populations, so cutting the budget, removing programs and closing clinics doesn’t really align with that,” she said. 

She serves as many as 20 clients weekly, providing the youth community, including queer and trans youth, with resources for physical and behavioral health.

“My clinic in the Tenderloin is connected to Larkin Street Youth Services. And so, our clinic paired up with the services that they have really offers the youth a one-stop shop for all their needs,” Padilla said. 

Alyana Perez, 22, was born and raised in San Francisco. 

“I’ve been in the clinic with Larkin since I was 18. I wish I knew about it sooner,” Perez told CBS News Bay Area. 

She said the clinic has been her safe space, and is devastated to learn of the impending closures. 

“They just break it down to you, and make you feel like you’re safe and comfortable. And whatever decisions you make and stuff, they just want to help you. That’s it,” she said. “Without those clinics, I could really see a lot of young individuals struggling to even know where do you even sign up? Where to go? I go to these hospital dn I go to these clinics, and it’s very confusing.”

Which is why Padilla and her community are looking forward to amplifying their voices at the city’s health commission hearing on Monday afternoon. 

“All of us can express how these cuts to city budgets and clinic closures will impact the community,” she said. 

Padilla added that with these two closures, the remaining main youth clinics are New Generations Health Center, Balboa Teen Health Center and Third Street Youth Center and Clinic. 

She said she is grateful to be relocated to a nearby hospital for work, but her fight to protect the most vulnerable youth is only just beginning. 

In a statement to CBS News Bay Area, the San Francisco Department of Public Health said the following. 

“Facing a two-year citywide deficit of $643 million – including more than $300 million in federal and state Medi-Cal/Medicaid cuts – SFDPH and the Mayor’s Office worked together to shield core services from the full effect of those reductions. The department will receive General Fund support to offset the unprecedented federal cuts and identified $226 million in savings through additional revenue and operational efficiencies that do not touch staff or patient programs.  

SFDPH is also proposing the strategic consolidation of three clinics where data show consistently low utilization:  

·        Southeast Mission Geriatric Services – – average of less than 115 visits per month, about 5 patients seen per day by a clinician  

·        Cole Street Clinic – average of less than 40 visits per month, about 4 patients seen per day by a clinician  

·        Larkin Street Youth Clinic – average of 70 visits per month, about 4 patients seen per day by a clinician  

This is not a service reduction but is a resource realignment. SFDPH will reassign specialized clinical staff to higher demand locations where they will see more patients so we can best utilize their time. No patient loses care. Every patient will be offered a seamless transition to another outpatient clinic with no gap in services and will have the option to continue seeing their current health care provider whenever possible. SFDPH will ensure ample time is provided for patients and staff to transition to a new clinic.   

Every decision in DPH’s proposed budget was made with one goal: preserving the public health system San Franciscans depend on and ensuring patients continue to receive the care they need, where they need it.”

On the city’s agenda, officials had said, “a detailed DPH budget update on the budget process, including position reductions, will be provided at this meeting as a discussion-only item. The Health Commission will not be voting on the DPH budget or staff reductions reviewed in this meeting because the Commission already approved the FY26-28 DPH budget at its March 2, 2026 meeting. The next public policy body to vote on the DPH budget will be the Board of Supervisors when they review and vote on the City budget at its 6/11/26 and 6/26/26 meetings.”