With new powers, SF Mayor Daniel Lurie announces 1st project to address fentanyl crisis

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie gained new authority to tackle issues of homelessness and the ongoing fentanyl crisis on Wednesday.

Surrounded by law enforcement officials and community leaders, Lurie signed his priority legislation that will allow his office to forgo the typical lengthy Board of Supervisors approval process for projects related to homelessness, public safety and the drug crisis.

"This is just a first step," Lurie said Wednesday.

His first order of business will be converting a vacant Tenderloin retail space into a behavioral health crisis center. In 2021, the city of San Francisco purchased the property at 822 Geary St. but it is still boarded up and vacant. Initially, the building was going be used as a supervised drug-use site, but later officials decided to use the space as a crisis stabilization unit. Lurie said the ordinance allows city officials to more rapidly lease the site to a nonprofit group that will provide 24/7 operations and care from doctors and nurses.

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It will serve an estimated 25 people a day with 16 beds available for walk-ins as well as people in crisis that are taken in by police officers or other city officials. Lurie said the center will be critical in getting people connected with medical and psychiatric care.

The mayor didn't specify how many additional stabilization units the city is aiming to open, but said this is "just the start."

His ordinance also allows certain officials in the mayor's office to seek donations for projects aimed at addressing homelessness and the drug crisis. When asked about potential donors, Lurie noted that the Board of Supervisors would be informed of any developments.

Supervisor Jackie Fielder, chair of the city's oversight committee, had initial concerns about this provision but was pleased the original proposal was amended to these powers time bound.

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"If we do see anything that is cause for concern, we're going to make sure that there's kind of accountability," she said. "We're always looking for potential ways of fraud, waste and abuse. And that is exactly our job is to make sure that the city is honoring San Franciscans and their trust in city government."

Local recovery advocates like Tom Wolf welcome the change.

"This ordinance allows the city to filter through some of those would-be bids and actually look at those organizations that can do that and get things going quickly." Wolf said. "This is a huge, huge step in the right direction for us to get resources out there on the street quickly to help reduce those open drug scenes."

Lurie anticipates that the new health center will begin accepting patients as early as this April.