Homeless to be housed at San Francisco's Moscone West due to COVID-19 concerns
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- San Francisco's largest convention center was supposed to open today to the homeless, but the doors are locked. City officials have not returned calls to explain why.
When it happens, part of the Moscone Center, Moscone West, will be turned into a temporary homeless shelter to try and help with the COVID-19 pandemic. Hundreds of cots are already laid out and ready to be used.
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San Francisco Mayor London Breed says that while a small number will arrive there Thursday more will come, "we have identified room for at least 400 individuals."
News of cots and supplies has been spreading on the streets. Phillip Blakemore came to the convention center a day early in hopes of getting in. "They should have done this a long time ago I mean there are a lot of people out on the street right now," says Blakemore.
Sadly though it's unlikely that Blakemore will benefit from this. Moscone West will be used as a temporary homeless shelter for those who have been tightly packed in shelters.
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Blakemore hasn't been able to get inside a shelter of late, saying, "I've been riding the street for the last couple of days it's not fun. Couldn't find a shelter at all."
The goal with Moscone West is to free up space in other city shelters so that the homeless population is better distancing during this COVID-19 pandemic.
Supervisor Matt Haney has concerns and questions about this saying, "if we can truly have distancing in Moscone that's better than what we have now but what we should be working towards are hotel rooms and individual rooms for all these folks so they can stay distant from each other."
City officials have not said how long Moscone West will be used as a homeless shelter.
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