Is the crackdown on SF homelessness working? Here are the persisting challenges
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- San Francisco has seen a dramatic change in the number of tents on city streets since a crackdown began last August. While the city says there are fewer homeless people living on the streets, there are still areas where problems persist.
For many on the streets, conditions have not improved and some homeless people say they are worse off today.
It's the same pattern we've seen for months now when clearing out encampments in San Francisco: remove, rinse and repeat.
ABC7 News followed the head of the Department of Emergency Management during one of several daily sweeps conducted in different parts of the city.
"We are seeing improvements. It is a lot better than it used to be," assured Mary Ellen Carroll, DEM executive director.
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The city reports that from August through October, outreach teams have conducted over 3,000 engagements with people in encampments. Of those, 365 offers of shelter were accepted.
"We hope to continue to see improvements and continue to hopefully get the help they need and hold people accountable who need to be held accountable," Carroll said.
For example, when police asked two men obstructing the sidewalk to move, one of them threw a portable speaker at them.
"There's a tent and a tarp structure here," Police Sgt. Jamel Ellison said. "He was in the tarp structure, he is going to receive a citation for the illegal housing today. The other gentleman who was in the tent is also getting a citation but he has a warrant for his arrest so that's why he is going to jail today."
While the city has increased the number of shelter beds, there are many who refuse the help.
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Albert Artis has been unhoused for 23 years and says he's unable to live with others after serving time in prison.
"I'm waiting to see if they want to give me a place by myself because I can't, I really don't get a long with people," Artis said. "That's why I'm here away from everybody."
Living on these streets has become more complicated and ironically many feel more confined.
Those people who were used to traveling on BART to the Easy Bay without paying, are now finding the new, stronger fare gates are keeping them somewhat trapped in the city.
That frustration was witnessed when a man tried to confront an ABC7 News crew at a BART station. BART police, stationed near the gates, intervened and asked the man to leave.
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Many of the people ABC7 News spoke to said the people on the streets seem more unstable as they are forced to constantly move.
"Yeah, the hardest part is honestly is that everybody is so hard up that everybody steals each others stuff," said Abby Moe, who despite the uncertainty on the streets refuses to go to a shelter.
The price of illegal fentanyl has also quadrupled from $20 a gram to $80. Police believe the arrests they have made are disrupting the supply chain of the drug.
However, spending time on 6th street in the South of Market area, you wonder how much of that is true.
The drug market doesn't seem to be affected and when city workers come to clean and do outreach, they are always accompanied by police for their safety.
"We still obviously have areas that are very impacted with people who are experiencing homelessness, that are experiencing substance use disorder, 6th street is one of those places," Carroll said.
