Hayes Valley Safe Sleeping Sites at 33 Gough Street, Perfoming Arts Garage, and 600 McAllister
Mayor London Breed, Supervisor Dean Preston, Board of Supervisors, Alaric Degafinried, DPW Acting Director, Department of Public Works, Jeff Kositsky, Head of Healthy Streets Operations
This petition is in support of immediately moving the unsheltered population in Hayes Valley to a location where safe social distancing is possible.
Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association (HVNA) and other concerned neighbors strongly urge the City to place people experiencing homelessness into vacant hotel rooms, and pursue every humane way to address the needs of people who are experiencing homelessness.
This petition demands that city leaders make available vacant hotel rooms for the unsheltered population on Octavia Boulevard and adjacent streets by no later than Monday, July 20. If the City is unable to make hotel rooms available by that date, we demand that the City open a Safe Sleeping Site at one of the following locations:
33 Gough Street (Previously slated to be a Navigation Center)
360 Grove Street (Performing Arts Garage)
600 McAllister (Opera Parking Lot)
On March 15, 2020, the City and County of San Francisco issued a sweeping shelter-in-place mandate, ordering residents to stay at home and go outside for only basic necessities. We at Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association believe this was a necessary step to preventing the spread of COVID-19.
Since that time, the City has failed to adequately address the population of unsheltered individuals who remain on our streets and sidewalks. The situation presents a grave risk to public health and safety, both to the sheltered and unsheltered populations alike.
The Board of Supervisors has twice passed legislation to move these individuals into vacant hotels, which we believe is the safest available option to allow currently unsheltered people to practice safe social distancing and get access to services and facilities.
The City has, however, not acted quickly enough to provide this service on a scale that would meaningfully provide relief nor make any difference on the streets.
In Hayes Valley, the number of tent encampments has grown massively over the past three months, in particular on Octavia Boulevard. More than 20 tents line the street, and even more on the adjacent streets and alleyways. This presents an ongoing and unacceptable threat to public health and safety.
We are demanding that elected leaders and the city must move these individuals into vacant hotel rooms by Monday, July 20. If the City is unable or unwilling to meet this demand, we demand that the City open a Safe Sleeping Site in or near the neighborhood to provide relief by Monday, July 20. Other Safe Sleeping Sites have opened around the city, proving this model works.
In January of this year, the city announced that the former City College facility at 33 Gough Street was slated to become a Navigation Center. For this reason, we believe it is a suitable location for a temporary Safe Sleeping Site.
Additionally, the Performing Arts Garage on Grove Street is property owned by the City, and we believe could be converted to accommodate encampments in the temporary Safe Sleeping Site model. Lastly, the parking lot at 600 McAllister accommodates parking for Opera employees. Given that the Opera recently announced it was cancelled its Fall schedule, we believe the property could be made available for a Safe Sleeping Site on a temporary basis.
Regardless of which avenue the city pursues, the neighborhood must get relief immediately, and no later than Monday, July 20. Every day that passes puts residents - both housed and unhoused - at greater and greater risk.
We want Safe Sleeping Sites that last for the duration of this crisis. To be successful, sites must have the following:
Meals
Bathrooms
Showers
Hand Washing Stations
24 hour supervision
Shade/Rain canopies
Health Services and Health Screenings upon Entry
On Site Security
We, the undersigned, demand that the city make available vacant hotel rooms for the unsheltered populations in Hayes Valley no later than Monday, July 20. If unable or unwilling, the city must open a Safe Sleeping Site by that date at 33 Gough Street, 360 Grove Street, or 600 McAllister Street. he encampments on Octavia Street and the adjacent blocks must be prioritized for placement in the hotel rooms or at one of the sites
Sponsored by
To:
Mayor London Breed, Supervisor Dean Preston, Board of Supervisors, Alaric Degafinried, DPW Acting Director, Department of Public Works, Jeff Kositsky, Head of Healthy Streets Operations
From:
[Your Name]
Dear Mayor Breed, Supervisor Preston, Board of Supervisors and Department of Public Works:
The encampments in Hayes Valley are beyond unsafe. We demand immediate action on Safe Sleeping Sites at the spaces identified in this petition. Please, make our neighborhood and all our residents, housed and unhoused, safe.