San Francisco's aggressive push to get more unhoused people off city streets
San Francisco — One day in May, Reily was the latest unhoused person in San Francisco to be caught up in the city's year-long aggressive enforcement tactics.
Involved in the arrest was San Francisco police Sgt. Dennis Hoang, the department's homeless unit supervisor.
"I asked Reily how many times they've been cited for illegal lodging, and they said...four times," Hoang told CBS News. "We're at a point where we are no longer tolerating chronic illegal behavior."
In mid-2024, San Francisco began more targeted sweeps of homeless encampments across the city in an effort to address its homeless crisis.
"These public sidewalks are for the public," Hoang said. "And, unfortunately, it's not a place for people to store their personal belongings."
Between June of 2024 and June of this year, nearly 1,000 people have been arrested or cited for illegal camping in San Francisco, according to city data, but few are ever charged.
"I'm going to get kicked out of the shelter," Reily told CBS News. "I'm going to come back on the street. I'm going to get cited again, it's a broken system."
Unhoused people who spoke to CBS News said some of the shelters do not fit their needs for a variety of reasons, such as dormitory-style housing that requires having roommates, no storage for personal possessions and no pets allowed.
Arrests are a last resort, conducted only if the person repeatedly ignores citations and refuses the city's multiple offers of shelter and services.
The city's efforts seem to have paid off with visible results. Nearly half of the 8,000 homeless that live in San Francisco are sheltered, per city data, up 35% from 2019.
In San Francisco's Mission District, police and city workers are faced with tense and emotional challenges. Jeff, who didn't want to share his last name, was upset by his arrest. He said he sleeps outdoors by "choice."
"I'm getting their help already," said Jeff when asked by CBS News why he refused assistance and resources from the city. "Where does that lead me?"
Democratic San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, who took office in January, was elected by voters frustrated by the city's large homeless encampments and its soaring crime rates.
Despite the crackdown on homeless encampments, Lurie contends that it is "absolutely not" the city's view that it is a crime to be either poor or homeless in San Francisco.
"Our focus is getting people off the street and into shelter and into mental health and drug treatment beds," Lurie told CBS News.
"We lead with services," Lurie said. "We lead with our values, which is taking care of people." He believes his tough-on-crime policies and focus on rehabilitation have created safer public spaces. "We're getting a lot of business leaders engaged and involved in the city in a way that they haven't been for a long time," Lurie said. "And there's this feeling of hope and optimism."
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