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S.F. Mayor Advances Historic Homelessness Recovery Plan with 4 New Innovative Projects

“These four innovative new and exciting projects demonstrate and help fulfill the vision of Mayor Breed’s Homelessness Recovery Plan,” said San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, executive director, Shireen McSpadden. “We know that housing is the solution to homelessness. By continuing to expand access to housing, and new shelter models we can stabilize more homeless residents in our community.”

Published

4 years ago

December 22, 2021

Oakland Post

As part of Mayor London Breed’s bold Homelessness Recovery Plan, the City has committed to acquiring or leasing 1,500 new units of Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) and expanding shelter options for people living outdoors.

New projects will add shelter for up to 430 people and nearly 200 units of permanent supportive housing

By S.F. Mayor’s Office of Communications

Mayor London N. Breed announced on December 10 the City is moving forward with four new projects that will provide shelter for up to 430 individuals and permanent housing for 194 residents who are currently experiencing homelessness.

As part of Breed’s bold Homelessness Recovery Plan, the City has committed to acquiring or leasing 1,500 new units of Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) and expanding shelter options for people living outdoors. There is an unprecedented confluence of local, state, and federal funding sources that provide the unique opportunity for significant investments in new permanent housing and shelter options.

This strategy brought in over 360 units of supportive housing through the 2020 Homekey Grant Program, and this fall, the Board of Supervisors authorized the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) to acquire and convert three more existing properties into supportive housing in Districts 11, 9, and 6, which will add an additional 237 units.

To continue to build toward these goals, the City is announcing the following proposed four new projects:

In partnership with the non-profit provider Urban Alchemy, master lease the property located at 711 Post St. to operate a new semi-congregate shelter for adults
In partnership with Tenderloin Housing Clinic, fund a master lease and operations of the Garland Hotel located at 505 O’Farrell St. to add 80 units of affordable housing with onsite social services
Convert the Baldwin Hotel, located at 74 6^th St., from its current use as supportive housing to approximately 180 units of non-congregate shelter for adults
Proposed acquisition of the property located at 835 Turk St. to add up to 114 units of Permanent Supportive Housing in District 5

“We’re continuing to push forward in implementing our ambitious Homelessness Recovery Plan, which is the largest expansion of new Permanent Supportive Housing in over 20 years. These new projects will allow us to provide shelter for up to 430 individuals and permanent housing for 194 residents who are homeless in San Francisco,” said Breed. “We’re creating the places we need for people to get the housing and care they need so we can address the challenges we see on our streets and make a difference in the lives of people facing homelessness.”

The proposed master lease of 711 Post Street would provide temporary, semi-congregate shelter for adults experiencing homelessness through 123 units that include single, double, and quad units. The property is ideal for this new shelter model as it provides many amenities, including small sleeping rooms, bathrooms and showers on each floor, community lounges, lobby and front desk, commercial kitchen and dining space, and ADA chair lift at the entrance.

The semi-congregate shelter program that HSH is proposing would be operated by Urban Alchemy and would include meals for guests as well as dedicated Urban Alchemy staff practitioners supporting street activation along Post Street.

“The Urban Alchemy approach works because it is holistic. We embrace our unhoused neighbors who need safe spaces, and we embrace the neighborhood, so the quality of life improves for everyone,” said Lena Miller, CEO of Urban Alchemy that runs shelters throughout California. “The 711 Post model is exciting, and we’re committed to delivering our trademark success – a stable shelter with resources for those in need and a neighborhood of cleaner, safer streets.”

Additionally, in partnership with Tenderloin Housing Clinic (THC), the City is proposing to lease the Garland Hotel at 505 O’Farrell for use as permanent housing. The property has 80 units, an elevator, private bathrooms, private kitchenettes, is in close proximity to public transportation, and has been recently renovated.

Tenderloin Housing Clinic has extensive experience operating PSH and will be the leaseholder, operator, and service provider.

A third proposed project will convert the Baldwin Hotel from Permanent Supportive Housing to a non-congregate shelter. The Baldwin Hotel is currently a PSH Program, but the small rooms and lack of private bathrooms have been challenging to operate. The approximately 100 existing tenants at the Baldwin will have an opportunity to move with their current service provider (THC) to the Garland Hotel or another comparable PSH site.

Once tenants are relocated from the Baldwin, the Site would be re-opened as a non-congregate shelter as part of HSH’s temporary shelter portfolio, supporting the expansion of non-congregate shelter models that have been successful during the COVID-19 pandemic through the Shelter-in-Place (SIP) hotel program.

“It’s a huge improvement for the Baldwin residents,” said Tenderloin Housing Clinic executive director, Randy Shaw. “We thank Mayor Breed and HSH for seizing the opportunity to lease one of San Francisco’s finest SRO hotels into the permanent supportive housing program.”

The service provider of this non-congregate shelter has not yet been identified, and the shelter program is anticipated to open in the Spring/Summer of 2022.

The final proposed project is to purchase the property at 835 Turk St. in District 5 and convert it to Permanent Supportive Housing with up to 114 units with private bathrooms. The building will provide affordable homes with onsite social services to help tenants gain and maintain housing and stability.

The site will have staff, professional property management, and support services. The property is currently a residential hotel with high vacancy and includes generously sized rooms with private bathrooms, a lobby, dining room, and parking garage.

Through these four exciting, proposed projects, the City will add semi-congregate shelter for up to 200-250 guests, 194 new units of supportive housing, and approximately 180 new units of non-congregate shelter.

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As California Hits Aging Milestone, State Releases Its Fifth Master Plan for Aging

“California’s Master Plan for Aging started a powerful movement that is shaping the future of aging in our state for generations to come,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement, calling the initiative a “future-forward” model delivering real results for older adults, people with disabilities, and their families.

Published

4 hours ago

February 9, 2026

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

On Jan. 27, California released its Fifth Master Plan for Aging Annual Report,titled “Focusing on What Matters Most,” outlining the state’s progress and priorities as its population rapidly grows older.

The report, issued by the California Health and Human Services Agency (CalHHS), provides updates on the Master Plan for Aging’s “Five Bold Goals”: housing, health, inclusion and equity, caregiving, and affordability.

The report comes as Californians aged 60 and older now outnumber those under 18 for the first time, a demographic shift expected to accelerate over the next decade.

Launched in 2021, the Master Plan for Aging takes a “whole-of- government” and “whole-of-society” approach, coordinating state agencies, local governments, community organizations, and private partners. The annual report highlights significant milestones, including more than 100 California communities joining AARP’s Age-Friendly Network and $4 million in state funding awarded to local organizations to develop aging and disability action plans in 30 communities statewide.

The report also underscores California’s leadership at the national level, noting that dozens of states have followed its example and that federal legislation inspired by the plan was reintroduced in the U.S. Senate in December 2025.

CalHHS Secretary Kim Johnson emphasized the plan’s focus on equity and resilience amid ongoing challenges.

“The Master Plan for Aging continues to provide a vision, a focus, and a platform for collaboration,” Johnson said. “Equity is at the center of all that we do.”

Looking ahead, the report notes that by 2030, one in four Californians will be age 60 or older, positioning the Master Plan for Aging as a central framework for meeting the state’s long-term social, economic, and health needs.

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After Don Lemon’s Arrest, Black Officials Raise Concerns About Independent Black Media

Elected leaders joining the call included U.S. Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA-37), Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell (2nd District), Assemblymembers Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood), Mike Gipson (D-Carson), and Sade Elhawary (D-Los Angeles), and State Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles). While the meeting was prompted by Lemon’s arrest, the discussion quickly moved beyond him, turning to growing concerns about the vulnerability of Black journalists covering protests and dissent.

Published

5 hours ago

February 9, 2026

Oakland Post

Don Lemon. Shutterstock.

By Joe W. Bowers Jr., California Black Media

On Jan. 30, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass attended independent journalist Don Lemon’s federal court appearance at the Edward R. Roybal Federal Courthouse following his arrest in Los Angeles by federal authorities for conduct tied to his reporting on a protest nearly 2,000 miles away in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Shortly afterward, Bass convened a Zoom roundtable of Black elected leaders, city officials, and journalists to discuss what the case signaled — not just for Lemon, but for journalism more broadly.

While Lemon was being arrested, Georgia Fort, an award-winning Minneapolis journalist, was also arrested and charged in connection with her coverage of the protest inside the Cities Church in St. Paul reportedly targeted because a pastor worked as field director for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Both Fort and Lemon have said they were reporting.

However, prosecutors allege conspiracy and violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act — a federal law that prohibits force, threats, or obstruction at reproductive health facilities and places of worship.

In a public statement issued after the arrest, Bass said the case “is about the First Amendment and the right of journalists to do their jobs without fear of intimidation or retaliation,” adding that journalists “must be able to cover events of public concern without being treated as criminals.”

That framing set the tone for the Zoom discussion. Participants raised concerns that Lemon’s speech and presence were being used to transform journalistic activity into evidence of criminal intent. Several warned that such an approach places journalists working outside major institutions at heightened risk.

Kamlager-Dove said the arrests cut to the heart of democratic accountability.

“Journalists must be able to report on protests, government actions, and civil rights issues without fear of arrest or retaliation,” she said. “When reporters are targeted for doing their jobs, it threatens the public’s right to know and undermines our democracy.”

As the discussion continued, the roundtable’s participants also made clear why Fort’s arrest mattered. Unlike Lemon, she is not a national television figure, a distinction participants said shows how independent journalists without major institutional backing are often the most vulnerable.

McKinnor said that reality cannot be ignored. “Black journalists have long played a critical role in documenting what others overlook or avoid,” she said. “When reporters are arrested for covering protests, it sends a message that truth-telling itself is being criminalized.”

Participants noted that the Minnesota protest space was multiracial, yet Black journalists were among those arrested — a pattern several described as familiar when Black reporters cover protests, immigration enforcement, policing, or civil rights issues.

Smallwood-Cuevas called the arrests “deeply troubling” and warned that “when journalists are arrested for documenting protests, it sends a chilling message not just to the press, but to the public.”

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“Victory” for Voting Rights: Weber and Bonta Hail Judge’s Decision on Huntington Beach I.D. Law

“Today’s victory makes one thing crystal clear: No city in our state, charter and non-charter alike, is above the law,” Bonta said. “All along, Secretary of State Weber and I have maintained that Huntington Beach’s voter ID policy is illegal, and now, the state’s highest court has weighed in and agreed with us. Measure A won’t be taking effect — ever.”

Published

5 hours ago

February 9, 2026

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber hailed a major legal victory for voting rights after the California Supreme Court declined to review a challenge brought by the City of Huntington Beach against the state, effectively ending the city’s attempt to impose voter identification requirements in municipal elections.

The high court’s action leaves intact a Fourth District Court of Appeal ruling that struck down Huntington Beach’s voter ID law, known as Measure A, finding it unlawful and preempted by state law. By rejecting the city’s petition for review, the Supreme Court has fully resolved the case in favor of the state, concluding litigation initiated by Bonta and Weber on April 15, 2024.

Measure A amended the Huntington Beach city charter to purportedly authorize voter identification requirements at polling places for municipal elections beginning in 2026. State officials argued the measure conflicted with California election law and was adopted without evidence of voter fraud in the city. Courts at every level agreed, rejecting the city’s claims that such requirements were necessary to protect election integrity.

Bonta also criticized city leaders for promoting unfounded concerns about election security. “Huntington Beach’s leaders have been parroting the Trump Administration’s talking points by questioning the integrity of our elections,” he said. “In court, the City’s allegations were resoundingly rejected. I remain fully committed to protecting the right to vote from baseless attacks.”

Weber emphasized the broader implications of the ruling for voters statewide.

“Today the California Supreme Court declined to review the Fourth District Court of Appeal’s decision prohibiting the City of Huntington Beach from implementing illegal voter identification requirements,”

Weber said. “As California Secretary of State, I have a responsibility to ensure that every eligible Californian can exercise their constitutional right to vote, and I take that duty seriously.”

Weber added that state law clearly supersedes local efforts to impose additional voting barriers.

“Attorney General Bonta and I have held steadfast that state law preempts the City’s attempts to impose illegal voting requirements on eligible voters and that Huntington Beach’s Measure A is unlawful,” she said. “This is another victory for California, for voters, and for democracy.”