Mayor Breed: Homeless residents should have to pursue sobriety before receiving City money
Jacopo Bassano: The Good Samaritan, 1562. Image in Public Domain
SF's mayor London Breed proposed legislation that would require homeless folks with substance abuse disorders to get treatment before accepting the City's financial assistance—or, in Breed's words, “No more handouts without accountability.” As reported by the SF Standard, the Golden City's latest efforts to restore safety and cleanliness to its drug- and crime-battered streets.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed proposed new legislation Tuesday that would require people with substance use disorders to seek treatment before the city provides them financial support.
As part of an effort to forcefully steer people into addiction treatment, Breed said the city’s General Assistance program—considered a safety net for people who don’t qualify for other means of financial support—would start screening its participants for addiction under the legislation. Those who fail the screening would no longer receive financial support unless they enroll in treatment.
San Francisco’s General Assistance program administered $30.3 million in fiscal year 2022. There are roughly 5,200 people currently in the program.
“No more handouts without accountability,” Breed said at a press conference Tuesday.
Through the General Assistance program, housed participants can receive a maximum of $687 per month, while those who are homeless receive a maximum of $105 per month along with a guaranteed shelter bed due to the Care Not Cash legislation passed in 2002.
Program participants with children would not be included under the new legislation.
Trent Rhorer, executive director of the Human Services Agency, said the share of people with substance use disorders among people who receive these benefits is higher than among the general population.
This article originally appeared in the San Francisco Standard. Read the whole thing here.
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