San Francisco Aggressively Clearing Tent Cities, Busing Homeless Out

San Francisco has wasted no time in cracking down on homeless encampments after a Supreme Court decision in June gave cities more authority to deal with the issue.

City authorities have been working quickly to clear tent cities — but keeping public areas clear has proven to be no simple task.

Cleanup crews removed several tent cities last week, but tents popped up again in those areas within days. Some of the new campers could be seen using drugs, a persistent problem in the city.

The City by the Bay also continues to bus homeless people to other California counties and even other states, including Texas.

Over the last two years, the city has sent at least 857 homeless people to other states and counties, The San Francisco Standard reported.

At least a few homeless people have been sent to Oregon, Nevada, Texas, Ohio, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, and Indiana, according to data from the city’s new program, Journey Home, which was launched in September.

The data is unclear for the city’s older Homeward Bound program, which has relocated hundreds of people in recent years.

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Mayor London Breed issued an executive directive on Thursday ordering city employees to point homeless people in the direction of these relocation programs before offering shelter and other services.

Breed said San Francisco is no longer able to support the influx of homeless people moving to the city and taking advantage of free services.

The Supreme Court ruled last month that cities can enforce bans on homeless people sleeping outside in public places even if there is not enough shelter space to accommodate them, saying such laws do not violate the Constitution’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.

The original case involved the Oregon town of Grants Pass, which tried to fine people $295 for sleeping outside when tents began crowding the town’s public parks.

Before the court’s decision, homeless encampments continued to spread in California, Oregon, and Washington while city officials remained limited in what they could do to address the problem, especially since homeless people often refuse shelter beds.

San Francisco has struggled for years with rampant homelessness, crime, and open-air drug use driven by fentanyl, all of which have driven people and businesses out of downtown. About 38,000 people are homeless in the Bay Area on a given night. That’s up 35% since 2019.

California has the highest homeless population in the country by far. About 180,000 people were homeless last year across the state, and about 123,000 are unsheltered on a given night, according to the latest homeless count.

Homeless encampments near freeways, under overpasses, and near exit ramps have also become so common that California’s transportation department now has its own protocol and workers for clearing encampments.