SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie gained new authority to sort out problems with homelessness and the continued fentanyl disaster on Wednesday.
Surrounded by legislation enforcement officers and neighborhood leaders, Lurie signed his precedence laws that can permit his workplace to forgo the everyday prolonged Board of Supervisors approval course of for initiatives associated to homelessness, public security and the drug disaster.
“That is only a first step,” Lurie stated Wednesday.
His first order of enterprise will probably be changing a vacant Tenderloin retail area right into a behavioral well being disaster middle. In 2021, the town of San Francisco bought the property at 822 Geary St. however it’s nonetheless boarded up and vacant. Initially, the constructing was going be used as a supervised drug-use web site, however later officers determined to make use of the area as a disaster stabilization unit. Lurie stated the ordinance permits metropolis officers to extra quickly lease the positioning to a nonprofit group that can present 24/7 operations and care from docs and nurses.
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It’s going to serve an estimated 25 folks a day with 16 beds out there for walk-ins in addition to folks in disaster which are taken in by law enforcement officials or different metropolis officers. Lurie stated the middle will probably be vital in getting folks related with medical and psychiatric care.
The mayor did not specify what number of extra stabilization items the town is aiming to open, however stated that is “simply the beginning.”
His ordinance additionally permits sure officers within the mayor’s workplace to hunt donations for initiatives aimed toward addressing homelessness and the drug disaster. When requested about potential donors, Lurie famous that the Board of Supervisors would learn of any developments.
Supervisor Jackie Fielder, chair of the town’s oversight committee, had preliminary considerations about this provision however was happy the unique proposal was amended to those powers time certain.
“If we do see something that’s trigger for concern, we’ll guarantee that there’s sort of accountability,” she stated. “We’re at all times searching for potential methods of fraud, waste and abuse. And that’s precisely our job is to guarantee that the town is honoring San Franciscans and their belief in metropolis authorities.”
Native restoration advocates like Tom Wolf welcome the change.
“This ordinance permits the town to filter via a few of these would-be bids and truly have a look at these organizations that may do this and get issues going rapidly.” Wolf stated. “This can be a large, large step in the suitable route for us to get sources on the market on the road rapidly to assist cut back these open drug scenes.”
Lurie anticipates that the brand new well being middle will start accepting sufferers as early as this April.
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