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Learn About Homelessness
Growing our understanding of homelessness and what it’s like to live unhoused in our City creates an opportunity for collective action. By taking it upon ourselves to learn about the communities impacted, the issue at large, and the proven solutions, we grow our community’s compassion – and capacity – to solve homelessness. Start your knowledge-building journey here.
The Experience of Homelessness
While our unhoused neighbors have the experience of homelessness in common, we have much to learn from their individual journeys navigating from unhoused to housed. To support our neighbors in making this transition, we first and foremost need to hear from them and truly listen. We provide the tools for you to do so.
VIEW FROM THE OUTSIDE
So often we view our unhoused neighbors as distinctly separate from those who are housed. In creating this invisible, but nonetheless powerful divide, we cut ourselves off from the compassion, care, and innovation needed to solve homelessness. See the world through your neighbor's eyes and start to bridge the gap between those who are housed and unhoused.
STORIES
We’ve said it many times, but it bears repeating: Our ability to create change starts with listening. Our unhoused neighbors invite you to hear their stories of struggle, resilience, and courage. Lend them your ears and walk hand-in-hand through their journey.
The Big Picture
When we contextualize our neighbors’ stories in the stark realities of homelessness, it paints a clear picture: Homelessness is a systemic issue that reaches far and wide. Its impact is felt most acutely by Black, Brown, Indigenous, LGTBQIA+, and other marginalized communities. Uncover how it touches people’s lives across San Francisco with these resources.
8,000
On any given night, there are approximately 8,000 people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco. And over the course of one year, as many as 20,000 people access San Francisco’s homelessness services.
35%
Women are 35% of San Francisco’s homeless population; that number is on the rise locally and nationally.
37%
Black San Franciscans make up 37% of the unhoused population, while only 6% of the population in our City is Black.
85-90%
Studies show that 85 to 90% of people who enter permanent supportive housing remain stably housed.
ONE PAGER
Homelessness in San Francisco is deeply complex, but this issue one-pager begins to illustrate life unhoused and the solutions to take us forward.
SNAPSHOT
Every month, we tracked the number of people who exited homelessness in San Francisco to determine if we’re on pace to meet our housing goals. Staying on top of this information prompts important questions—of ourselves and others—to make sure we are doing everything possible to get our unhoused neighbors off the streets and into homes.
Solutions to Homelessness
Solutions to homelessness start with us. By building awareness around effective solutions, our community can shift the tide towards a city that is equitable and just—and where everyone who lives here also has a home.
FLEX POOL
Launched in 2020, the Flexible Housing Subsidy Pool program taps into the power of community by encouraging landlords with vacant units to open their doors to unhoused residents. Learn more through this video.
FROM PROP C TO OUR CITY OUR HOME: KEY RESOURCES FOR SOLUTIONS TO HOMELESSNESS
San Franciscans showed up at the ballot box in 2018 with resounding support for Prop C, a measure that effectively doubles local resources for our unhoused neighbors. After a court battle, the funds generated by this legislation were released and the community quickly got to work developing solutions. Prop C is critical to our ongoing efforts and we must stay on top of how the City manages the funds.
LEGISLATION PAGE
Like any issue we face as a nation, we need solutions enacted on the local, state, and federal levels. While our focus is on what’s happening in San Francisco, advocates need an understanding of how this fits into the bigger picture of state and federal government efforts to solve homelessness.
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