Bay Area

Citizen Coalition Says City Can Save a Billion Dollars with Alternative Approach to Unsheltered Homelessness

The city is taking the wrong approach to getting unsheltered people off San Francisco streets, according to a citizen group that believes an alternative approach would shave $1 billion from the projected price tag. The group filed detailed comments Monday to a city report that said it would cost $1.45 billion and take three years to get all unsheltered people off of San Francisco’s streets.

Published

3 years ago

April 21, 2023

Oakland Post

Supervisor Matt Haney speaks at the press conference outside Boeddeker Park in Tenderloin, San Francisco, Calif., on Aug. 5, 2021. Supervisor Haney announced the city’s plan to expand funding for the City’s Pit Stop public restroom program. (Harika Maddala/Bay City News)

By Joe Dworetzky
Bay City News

The group filed detailed comments Monday to a city report that said it would cost $1.45 billion and take three years to get all unsheltered people off of San Francisco’s streets.

Rescue SF, self-described as a “a citywide coalition of residents advocating for compassionate and effective solutions to homelessness in San Francisco,” suggested that leasing existing space instead of acquiring or building would reduce the city’s projected cost by a billion dollars and still get the same results.

The matter has its roots in SF Ordinance 92-22, passed in June of 2022, which declared that “It shall be the policy of the City to offer to every person experiencing homelessness in San Francisco a safe place to sleep.”

To get to that end, the ordinance directed the city’s Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing to prepare a detailed plan to shelter every homeless person in the city within three years. The plan required HSH to detail how much it would cost to do so.

On Dec. 30, HSH submitted its “A Place for All Report,” concluding that it would cost $1.45 billion over the first three years and $410 million a year thereafter.

In view of its lofty price tag, District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman tweeted, “It’s as if HSH is hoping to convince the city that ending unsheltered homelessness is impossible, so we shouldn’t bother trying.”

Rescue SF’s comments, co-authored by Mark Nagel and Lori Brooke, are entitled “More Beds For Your Buck: A Cost-Effective Approach to Ending Unsheltered Homelessness in San Francisco.”

While the comments do not criticize HSH, Rescue SF highlights the fact that HSH prioritized acquiring or building shelters and permanent housing rather than leasing apartments for housing and converting existing hotels into shelters.

Because of the challenges of acquiring, building and siting properties in San Francisco, HSH’s approach results in frontloading the expense (and difficulties) of reaching the goal of ending unsheltered homelessness in the city.

One graphic in the comments shows that the start-up costs for one unit of housing acquired by the city is $556,000, compared to $11,000 for a leased apartment unit.

The comments acknowledge the argument that owning is generally more advantageous than leasing, but counters, “While this is true in the long run, San Francisco’s urgent street crisis is forcing the City to focus on the short run… leasing can bring many more people into housing than newly constructed buildings…. New construction could take up to five or six years to complete, while a leased building could be operational within months.”

The comments also challenge the report’s reliance on HSH’s average historical costs of operating shelter beds. Relying on that experience, the report estimated annual operating costs of between $58,000 and $88,000 per bed.

The comments called out the recent master lease and conversion of a hotel at 711 Post St., where the per-bed annual operating costs are approximately $30,000. Replicating that approach would save hundreds of millions of dollars over the three-year period.

The comments acknowledge that their conclusion will depend on the city being able to find enough apartments for lease and enough hotels with owners willing to master lease and convert their rooms. “If the city fails to surmount these practical constraints, the number of units or the associated costs would change.”

Nagel, co-founder with Brooke of Rescue SF, said the organization was formed three years ago when “we saw that the city was in trouble, in a real crisis. And instead of pulling our hair and complaining, people said, well, what can we do about this? How can we help?”

Rescue SF prides itself on being nonpartisan and coming to the table not with general criticism but with specific suggestions that it has carefully researched. Nagel said, “We’re not ideological. We don’t have any preconceived notions of what the right answers are. We look at best practices, we talk to people, we learn, we’ll change our minds. We get new information.”

Nagel said that in preparing the report, “What the department did was they took all of their usual practices, business as usual, and said, let’s take these interventions and do that for all the people on the street…”

He said he would have preferred it if the report started with the question “given that we have limited financial resources, what combination of shelter and housing will accomplish our goal? Get everyone off the street with the limited resources that we have.”

Nagel says that the city can’t continue to just manage the problem using the same old approaches. He says, “let’s treat homelessness like a natural disaster, and act with an urgency to get people off the streets.”

A hearing on the report is scheduled before the supervisors at City Hall Tuesday at 3 p.m. in Room 250. Mandelman has scheduled a press conference on the same topic at 12:30 pm Tuesday on the City Hall steps (Polk Street side).

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Agricultural Engineer Effie Gant Plans Bay Area Farmers Market Initiative

Published

1 week ago

July 18, 2026

bpusa-syndication

Agricultural Engineer Effie Gant displays watermelons from her Sacramento farm at the Temescal Festival in Oakland. Photo by Carla Thomas.

In her 80s and still actively working as an agricultural engineer, Effie Gant continues to break barriers in urban farming and community leadership.

The certified USDA grower and respected urban farmer, based in South Sacramento, was recently spotted vending at the Freedom Farmers’ Market by the Temescal Street Fair on Saturday, July 11, where she proudly displayed dozens of sweet, juicy watermelons.

Festivalgoers gathered not only to purchase her produce but also to enjoy activities like the popular watermelon-eating contest. Yet beyond the festive atmosphere, Gant has a larger vision.

Gant is now setting her sights on the Bay Area, where she plans to launch a farmers’ market to increase access to fresh, locally grown food.

Known for her leadership in sustainable agriculture and food justice, she brings decades of hands-on experience and community advocacy to regions where food access remains inconsistent.

She has built a strong reputation through her work with Meadowview Urban Farm and the Yisrael Family Urban Farm, cultivating crops such as watermelons, honeydew melons, and collard greens. Her approach emphasizes sustainability, education, and empowering residents to grow their own food, even in small urban spaces.

As a USDA-certified grower, Gant blends technical expertise with grassroots engagement to combat food insecurity.

Beyond farming, Gant serves as CEO and President of Highways to Hedges, a nonprofit focused on environmental justice and community development. She is also president of the Hampton Station Neighborhood Association and board chairman for HHCORE, where she advocates for safety, equity, and economic opportunity.

Her proposed farmers market will connect small-scale farmers with urban communities while elevating Black farmers and other underrepresented growers.

“I want to teach the next generation about farming and how lucrative it can be,” Gant said. “You don’t need hundreds of acres. You can start with one acre or even your backyard.”Gant also noted her involvement in a collective of farmers who supply produce through government-supported programs.

“We operate as a team, and we all benefit,” she said.

Through workshops, speaking engagements, and hands-on training, Gant and her organization continue to educate communities about agriculture and food justice. Her market initiative will emphasize affordability, cultural relevance, and nutrition education.

Her broader work includes creating edible forests in partnership with Soil Born Farms, planting fruit trees directly in neighborhoods to expand food access. As a mentor with the Center of Expertise on Food Justice and Health Equity, Gant remains a leading voice in building sustainable and resilient food systems.

Gant says she welcomes the community to join her in creating a new farmer’s market.

“Farming is essential to life,” she said. “I want to train as many people as I can to use food and farming as a tool for empowerment, health, and long-term change.”

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Oakland Post: Week of July 15 – 21, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of July 15 – 21, 2026

Published

1 week ago

July 18, 2026

Oakland Post

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From Disparity Study to Solutions: Oakland Coalition and Mayor Barbara Lee Renew Commitment to Reform City Contracting

She committed to ensuring the coalition has direct access to City leadership by designating Assistant Deputy City Administrator Chuck Baker the primary liaison. Working alongside Deputy City Administrator Sofia Navarro, DWES Director Emylene Aspilla, Race and Equity Director Darlene Flynn, and other City departments, the coalition will continue advancing these priorities while maintaining regular communication with City leadership.

Published

2 weeks ago

July 15, 2026

Oakland Post

Present at the recent meeting on implementing recommendations on Oakland’s Disparity Study on city work contracts were (first row, l. to r.): Chuck Baker, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee and Darlene Flynn. Second row, l. to r.) Samuel Adams, Erica Astrella, Chadwick Spell, Cathy Adams, Stanley Cooper, Maria Wagner, Len Turner, Derek Barnes, Paul Cobb. Photo courtesy of Oakland Mayor’s Office.

Special to The Post

On June 30, a coalition of minority business leaders, contractors and others met with Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee to discuss the City’s commitment to implement recommendations outlined in Oakland’s Disparity Study and eliminate barriers that have historically prevented Black and minority-owned businesses from fully participating in public contracting opportunities.

Representatives of the Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce (OAACC), National Association of Minority Contractors Northern California (NAMC NorCal), Construction Resource Center (CRC), and the East Bay Rental Housing Association (EBRHA) said the meeting represented an important milestone in a process that has been underway for several months.

On April 21, the Oakland City Council’s Life Enrichment Committee received a progress report from the Department of Workplace and Employment Standards (DWES), where Director Emylene Aspilla presented the coalition’s working document and outlined a collaborative implementation plan between the coalition and the City. That report established 30-, 60-, and 90-day objectives focused on five key priorities:

Reforming Local and Small Local Business Enterprise (L/SLBE) waiver practices
Strengthening prompt payment compliance
Improving procurement forecasting and transparency
Expanding contractor capacity building and business development
Increasing oversight, accountability, and public reporting

A series of working sessions was scheduled between coalition representatives, DWES, and the City Administrator’s Office to begin implementing those priorities but were temporarily delayed by the resignation of former City Administrator Jestin Johnson.

Rather than allowing that momentum to stall, OAACC President and CEO Cathy Adams requested a meeting with Lee to gain clarity on the City’s direction and reaffirm its commitment to implementing the recommendations contained within the Disparity Study.

Coalition leaders described the meeting as productive, candid, collaborative, and encouraging.

During the meeting, Lee spoke not only from her role as mayor but also from her experience as an 8(a) contractor and business owner, sharing that she understands firsthand what it takes to build and grow a successful company, employ a substantial workforce, compete for public work, and navigate the complexities of municipal contracting.

Mayor Lee also expressed her commitment to personally participate in future working meetings with the coalition.

“This meeting represents a renewed commitment to partnership,” said Adams. “Mayor Lee listened, engaged, and demonstrated that she wants to move beyond conversation and into implementation.”

CRC’s Len Turner said the roadmap is already in place. ““The City already has the evidence. What’s been missing is execution. …Now it’s time to deliver results.”

Mario Wagner, president of NAMC NorCal agreed that the next phase must focus on implementation, funding, and accountability.

“The coalition is ready to get to work. …The next step is ensuring these initiatives receive meaningful funding in the upcoming fiscal budget cycle. Just as important, the City must establish transparent reporting mechanisms that keep the public informed through regular progress reports, measurable benchmarks, and accountability.”

Coalition leaders also acknowledged that while City leadership has indicated it is reviewing Local and Small Local Business Enterprise waiver practices, the community continues to seek a formal response regarding existing long-term waivers, including waivers extending 10 and 25 years. The coalition believes those waivers should be comprehensively reviewed and, where appropriate, rolled back as part of the City’s broader contracting reforms.

The coalition is also calling on the City to include meaningful funding in the upcoming fiscal budget cycle to support implementation of the Disparity Study recommendations and establish better methods and mechanisms to keep the public informed through regular progress reports, measurable benchmarks, and transparent accountability.

The coalition’s immediate next step is to schedule a working meeting with Baker, Aspilla, Lee, and the appropriate City staff to review what has already been accomplished under the implementation framework.