SAN FRANCISCO—According to a study released by the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, homelessness is the number one concern among residents in the region.
San Francisco Mayor Edward M. Lee has announced new housing available for the homeless.
The Civic Center Hotel, located at 12th and Market Streets, is currently sitting empty. The mayor has chosen the location as a possible site to house the homeless. It will offer room for 93 people and will serve as the city’s second navigation center, which will be more than just a shelter. In addition to other amenities, residents will also be allowed to house their pets with them.
Just three weeks earlier, the city had a large homeless encampment around Division Street torn down due to unsanitary conditions and an unsafe environment.
“We want to provide the public that we will have long term answers,” said Mayor Lee. “We aren’t just tearing down these encampments so they can pop up some place else . We are actually handling the lives of these people in a responsible way, get them into long-term shelters through these transitional shelters.”
The announcement was made by the Mayor Lee in front of the Project Homeless Connect volunteers on Wednesday, March 23.
The Civic Center Hotel is currently owned by the Plumber’s Union. The union has agreed to let the city run the hotel for 2-3 years while they work on the development and acquiring all necessary permits.
The mayor announced 200 permanent housing units located throughout the city in various hotel units.
In an effort to get the residents of San Francisco more involved, the mayor put out a plea to all landowners, property owners of vacant lots or buildings to come forward and offer anything available that the city could use to improve the homelessness problem.
