San Francisco group calls for more attention to homeless families

By Angela Hokanson, Bay City News Service

April 14, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) - The community group Coalition on Homelessness declared a "state of emergency" Thursday to call attention to the needs of homeless families in the development of housing and homeless policies in San Francisco.

The city is taking too narrow a view of homelessness by focusing so intently on assisting the "chronically homeless," according to Juan Prada, executive director of Coalition on Homelessness.

Coalition on Homelessness called on the city to increase funding for eviction prevention, create additional housing subsidies for families, and reserve for families 25 percent of the 3,000 housing units of permanent housing promised to the chronically homeless in "Changing Direction," the city's blueprint for ending chronic homelessness.

"Changing Direction" calls for San Francisco to prioritize assisting the estimated 3,000 chronically homeless people in the city before other populations of homeless people "because the chronically homeless are the most in need, they consume the lion's share of dedicated resources and, if their needs are met, the city will save money. The money we save can then be redirected to the remaining general homeless population," the report states.

The city has focused its efforts on helping the very visible population of chronically homeless who live on the street, and who tend to have mental health or substance abuse problems, Prada said, at the expense of the city's homeless families.

The lack of assistance for low-income and homeless families is driving children and families from San Francisco, according to Prada. Project Homeless Connect, an initiative by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom that had its 10th event Thursday, serves mostly the single, adult, male homeless population, Prada said.

A lack of affordable housing is one of the root causes of homelessness in San Francisco, said Maxine Pauson, who used to be homeless with her son, who is now 16. Homeless families are at a disadvantage when it comes to finding affordable housing in San Francisco because some affordable housing options do not accept people with children, Pauson said.

Coalition on Homelessness also called on city officials to adjust the way in which they count the number of homeless families in San Francisco.

Homeless families should be considered for housing help not only if they live on the streets or in homeless shelters, but also if they live in single room occupancy hotels, or in unsanitary conditions, Prada said.

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