SF supes set to expand porta-potty program in Tenderloin

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Next week San Francisco supervisors are expected to approve the money to expand a program that seems to be a win-win for the city.

Porta-potties have been set up in the Tenderloin to help keep city streets cleaner and help the homeless at the same time.

Louie Lopez was tired of seeing his neighborhood being dumped on, literally. Now he's noticed a dramatic change thanks to a mobile toilet, one of three so-called Tenderloin pit stops operating over the last six months.

"This is the best thing they ever did," Lopez said. "You use to see people in between the cars doing their thing. This cleaned up the whole thing."

The pit stops are set up from 2 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday in the three neediest areas of the Tenderloin.

The bathrooms are staffed, monitored and constantly cleaned. San Francisco public works says every five minutes someone is stepping inside.

"The results have been favorable both for Public Works and reducing the number of calls for services we need to respond to serving people who don't have a place to go and really need to," said Mohammed Nuru of San Francisco Public Works.

On average, there are 50 requests for sidewalks to be steam cleaned in the city every day . Supervisor Jane Kim who worked two years to get the pilot program in place says cleaning requests have dropped 60 percent and more than 2,600 gallons of water are saved each month.

"Because it's turning actually into an environmental program, were eligible for other funds because we are saving the city water," San Francisco Supervisor Jane Kim said.

The program is expected to receive approval next week for an additional $200,000 which will allow the pilot to continue until the end of June and for at least one more pit stop to be set up, probably South of Market.