By Colleen Rivecca, HANC Board
In May, a group of recent college graduates participating in the City Hall Fellows program, a fellowship program that connects recent college graduates with city government to study social problems, released a report on the implementation of San Francisco’s sit/lie law. On August 15, the Fellows presented their report to the Haight community. The report showed that Park Station is citing more people for sit/lie than any other police station in the City, that the people who receive citations are not receiving useful referrals to services and that the City is not tracking whether sit/lie-related interactions with SFPD is actually directing people to services, and that SFPD and the City are not accurately tracking the number of sit/lie citations issued by SFPD.
As the Policy and Advocacy Coordinator at Homeless Youth Alliance (HYA), I have some opinions on sit/lie that I’d like to share with the Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council.
Some Suggestions
So, what are some constructive ideas for reducing homelessness in our community? I’d like to offer some suggestions that, unlike sit/lie, are targeted towards providing the services that homeless people need rather than criminalizing the behavior that is a side-effect of homelessness and poverty.
- San Francisco needs more housing affordable to low-income people (
- Homeless San Franciscans need 24-hour access to shelter as well as access to basic necessities like food, toilets, showers, clothing, and hygiene items.
- Recognize the unique service needs of the homeless youth in the Haight and strengthen programs that help hard-to-serve populations who fall through the cracks and don’t fit in to traditional service programs.