San Francisco just elected Daniel Lurie mayor. On January 3, 2025, he will assume office and inherit a homelessness crisis that has long bedeviled previous administrations.
The city’s approach to homelessness was a key issue of Lurie’s campaign—as well as those of his opponents. Since the Supreme Court’s ruling on Grants Pass v. Johnson, incumbent Mayor London Breed called for a “get tough” approach—or get even tougher, say homeless advocates—to sweeping street-based communities. The Coalition on Homelessness, which publishes Street Sheet, has been criticizing these tactics long before the campaign. Since Breed ordered a crackdown on encampments in July, SF police have issued more citations for the state police code called “illegal lodging,” or sleeping outside.
With a change in administration, the coalition sees an opportunity for the city to implement real, meaningful solutions to the homelessness crisis. In a statement released last week, the coalition called for the incoming mayor to take specific actions in his first 100 days of office.
The coalition’s demands include filling 700 vacant supportive housing units and resolving the lawsuit on illegal seizure of homeless people’s belongings. It also asks for putting lasting reforms into effect, such as improving efficiency in housing placements, redirecting money spent on sweeps to housing and homelessness prevention, and establishing a compassionate, solution-focused street response.
“San Francisco needs real solutions to homelessness, not more displacement and harm,” coalition Executive Director Jennifer Friedenbach said in the statement. “We urge the incoming administration to treat unhoused people with dignity and to prioritize housing, not punitive measures.”
Before running for mayor, Lurie founded the philanthropic organization Tipping Point Community, which raised millions for community-based organizations working on poverty issues.
“Daniel Lurie has experience working on homeless issues, so he’s not coming at this starting from zero,” Friedenbach told KRON4 last week. “He already has a great deal of knowledge, and has also worked on solutions, and so that’s where we all come together, regardless of where people are coming from.”
