San Francisco’s Homeless Tent Count Drops to Record Low, Mayor Says

Updated 12:35 p.m. Thursday

The number of tents on San Francisco streets is at its lowest point since before the city started counting in 2018, according to new quarterly figures announced on Thursday by Mayor London Breed.

The latest tally, conducted this month, found 242 tents and other structures around the city, down 60% from the 609 counted in July 2023, when a steady month-over-month decline began. The recent count found only five encampments of five or more tents, down from 14 last July. Declines were seen in every supervisorial district, ranging from a 9% drop in District 3 to 96% in District 8.

“We have seen more progress than we’ve seen in a long time because we’re making it harder for people to live on the streets,” Breed said at a Thursday press conference. “The goal is to not let people be comfortable living on the streets of San Francisco when we have an alternative.”

According to the mayor’s office, city outreach teams have connected over 950 people to shelters since the beginning of the year.

The city ramped up efforts to clear encampments in the wake of a June Supreme Court decision that opened the door for more aggressive enforcement, including the use of fines and arrests, whether or not shelter beds are available.

Since Breed launched the crackdown in August, amid a tough reelection campaign, business owners and residents have said they see fewer tents but just as many people as they disperse throughout neighborhoods and find more discreet spots to shelter.

“The tent count is meaningless. We need to consider human beings,” said Jennifer Friedenbach, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness, which has an ongoing lawsuit against the city over its homelessness policies. She said people often end up sleeping rough after their camps are cleared until they can buy another tent or get one donated.

“We have seen progress from Prop C,” she added, referring to a business tax passed in 2018 that funds services and housing, “but high rents are driving more people into homelessness. We need more efforts focused on prevention, rather than punishing them for being poor.”

Out of 3,000 interactions with people in encampments — a number that includes multiple interactions with the same individuals — 365 people accepted shelter, 296 people were arrested and 46 already had housing or shelter, per the mayor’s office. Of those who were arrested, 80% were cited for illegal lodging and released at the scene.

Mary Ellen Carroll, executive director of the Department of Emergency Management, credited better coordination for the latest numbers. “Why we have seen improvement is because of the collaborative work of all the city departments,” she said.

The city has also seen a drop in the number of people living in vehicles, with the vehicle count down from 1,058 in July 2023 to 458 this month. An increase in family homelessness over the last couple of years fueled rising RV camping. The city recently evicted an RV community near the zoo and banned overnight RV parking on most streets.

Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, whose District 8 saw the steepest decline in tents, celebrated the latest numbers. Just one tent remained in his district at last count, down from 24 last summer.

“If you look at the progress the city has made over the last six years, it is remarkable,” he said. “This is not to say the work is done.”