Breaking: San Francisco Passes Legislation Expanding Drug-Free Housing for Homeless

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie signed legislation on July 29 to expand drug-free permanent supportive housing in the city.

From The Voice of San Francisco, reporting back in April:

The legislation would require all city-funded permanent supportive housing to be drug-free, adopting the same lease rules governing evictions for illicit drug use that apply to every standard residential lease in San Francisco. Of San Francisco’s roughly 9,000 site-based permanent supportive housing units, only 42 are designated as drug-free.

Mayor Lurie said of the legislation:

Our administration is transforming how the city confronts the homelessness and behavioral health crisis. We are not just getting people off the streets; we are helping them achieve long-term stability and recovery by standing up the right kind of housing and connecting them to the services they need. Thanks to Supervisor Dorsey’s leadership, our city is expanding and accelerating these critical efforts to keep San Francisco safe and deliver better outcomes for our city’s most vulnerable residents.

Discovery Institute Senior Fellow and San Francisco-based recovery advocate, Tom Wolf, was there for the signing:

The fact that San Francisco passed drug-free supportive housing into law is a first step in recognizing that the Housing First low-barrier model does not work well for those struggling with drug addiction. It brings back accountability and gives those who need a hand up a real chance at success.

Most of the unsheltered homeless population struggles with drug addiction, untreated mental illness, a physical disability, or a combination of the three. Drug-free housing provides meaningful help to those seeking to recover from homelessness and addiction by creating a safe environment where they will not be surrounded by the vice they are trying to escape.

While garnering support for his legislation in the spring, Supervisor Matt Dorsey argued:

It is time to end the arrogance of assuming that everyone who lives in permanent supportive housing is an active drug user or that all permanent supportive housing residents deserve a tenancy standard that is below that which every other San Francisco tenant enjoys. It isn’t fair, and it needs to change.