SPUR Report on Homelessness
San Francisco Planning and Urban Research (SPUR) has written a brilliant, well-researched, and comprehensive plan to address the homeless and housing crisis in San Francisco.
It says: "For the same amount of money spent today, the crisis of homelessness in San Francisco could be solved. The City spends hundreds of millions of dollars each year on programs the deal with symptoms of homelessness - street cleaning, emergency room care and jail - but very little to none on programs that would address the underlying causes of homelessness such as affordable housing with supportive social services. The provision of affordable housing with supportive care could keep people off the streets without having to spend additional public money."
The SPUR report made eight recommendations:
- Increase the supply of supportive housing
- Enforce standards of civil behavior
- Improve shelter conditions
- Provide vouchers for services instead of cash payments
- Increase funding for affordable and ultra-affordable housing
- Encourage construction of new residential hotels
- Increase the overall housing supply
- Increase State and Federal funding