San Francisco to open 300 new shelter beds as winter nears

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — The City of San Francisco will be opening 300 new shelter beds this week as part of an ongoing shelter expansion. The 300 beds, according to a news release from the city, were funded in the city’s most recent budget and will be spread across a number of existing locations that are also adding capacity.

The additional shelter beds will bring the total number of active beds in San Francisco’s system to 3,850.

“We continue to add shelter — adding 300 beds this week,” said Mayor London Breed in a tweet. “We now have over 3,850 shelter beds, a 60% increase since 2018.”

The city says it plans to add an additional 30 beds before the end of the year. Plans are also in the works to open two tiny home communities next year, one of which would include a safe parking site.

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“Expanding shelter is essential for helping people off the street and keeping our neighborhoods cleaner and safer for everyone,” said Mayor London Breed. “As we do the work to go out in the community to address encampments, it’s essential we have places for people to go where they can be safe indoors. These beds will help people who are struggling with homelessness stabilize and hopefully get on a path to more permanent housing.”

The additional beds opening come in advance of winter with the first blast of wet, wintery weather of the season arriving in the Bay Area this week. The State of California is also ramping up pressure on local governments to clear encampments.

This week, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced $300 million in additional grant money for local governments to clear encampments.

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