San Francisco’s Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) supported putting bathrooms, showers, handwashing stations, and referral services at 730 Stanyan as an interim use pending construction of affordable housing on the site starting in mid-2023, and issued solicitations for a service provider on September 7.  The Homeless Youth Alliance was chosen, and the services were scheduled to open by the end of October.

Approximately two weeks before the site was set to open, it was squelched.  Who actually squelched it and why remains a mystery.  Supervisor Dean Preston asked the Mayor at the November 9 Board of Supervisor’s meeting.  The Mayor claimed that there were insufficient funds and that “Not everyone in this community supports this project.”

The issue was addressed again at a meeting of the Government Audit and Oversight Committee on November 18.  Included in those in attendance were Shireen McSpadden and Emily Cohen from HSH and Eric Shaw from the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development.  Supervisor Preston asked if the interim use could go forward if he found additional funds, and was told that it would not go forward.  He asked if there were any issues with the Homeless Youth Alliance, and there were none.

HANC has learned that the City is paying $27,000 per month for security for a vacant lot.  This is not much less than the proposed cost of the interim use.  Thus, during an ongoing pandemic, the City would rather have a vacant lot than sanitary facilities.

The opposition to the site appears to be an argument that increased services attract homeless youth.  HANC does not believe this, and believes that providing sanitary facilities will help the health of the homeless youth who are here, and will also benefit housed neighbors.  Referral services for food and jobs could help homeless youth move out of homelessness.

Some of the permanent housing to be built at 730 Stanyan is designated for homeless youth, and there will be homeless services on the site.  Arguing against services that will be on the site for a population that will be on the site does not make sense to us.

HANC does not want the site to remain a vacant lot for the next year and a half (longer if construction is delayed) and strongly supports an interim use of the site.