PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – As cities across the United States are seeing a homeless crisis, the mayor of San Francisco has issued a new directive to help relocate some people experiencing homelessness, with Oregon being among the top destinations.
On Aug. 1, San Francisco Mayor London Breed issued an executive directive that orders city employees to offer people facing homelessness relocation assistance before offering homeless services such as housing and shelter within the city of San Francsico, as first reported by The San Francisco Standard.
San Francisco’s relocation program isn’t new, but the directive prioritizes relocation “to reunite more people with family outside of San Francisco,” amid an increase of people from out-of-state, Mayor Breed explained.
According to Breed, the city’s 2024 Point-in-Time count, which tracks how many people are homeless, showed a rise in the number of people who are not from San Francisco County.
Of the people surveyed in the 2024 Point-in-Time count, 40% said they either came to San Francisco from another county or out-of-state – an increase from 28% in 2019.
According to the San Francisco Human Services Agency, Oregon is among the top places people have been relocated to.
The agency told KOIN 6 News on Friday they have helped relocate 29 people to other California counties, 10 people to Oregon (including five to Portland), eight to Nevada, and seven to Texas and less than five people to a handful of other states.
With this increase, the mayor decided to issue the directive.
“San Francisco continues to be committed to investing in effective programs that offer services to help reconnect people living on our streets with their homes as part of our ongoing efforts to address homelessness here in our city,” said Mayor Breed. “While we will always lead with compassion and we have made significant expansions in housing and shelter, we cannot solve everyone’s individual housing and behavioral health needs. We’ve made significant progress in housing many long-time San Franciscans who became homeless, but we are seeing an increase in people in our data who are coming from elsewhere. Today’s order will ensure that all our city departments are leveraging our relocation programs to address this growing trend.”
The city has been offering relocation services since 2005, when it offered bus tickets to help people facing homelessness or drug use disorders relocate to friends and family in other areas under the Journey Home program.
In July 2022, the city expanded the program to offer travel assistance, coordination with support networks, and financial assistance to new communities.
“The San Francisco Human Services Agency’s relocation programs work carefully with each individual seeking this service to ensure that they have a safe place to return to; participants are only served if they have housing, a support network, and/or are previously from the destination,” SFHSA told KOIN 6 News.
The agency added, “We also ensure they are safe to travel, they understand the program is completely voluntary and that they wish to travel to the destination. These are human-centered services meant to connect people with somewhere they may be stabilized or better supported.”
For the rest of 2024, officials said they cannot forecast how many more people they could relocate to Oregon as the program relies on an individual’s home residency or locations where they can live with family or friends.
The directive will remain in place “until rescinded,” officials said.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Portland Public Safety Commissioner and mayoral candidate Rene Gonzalez shared The San Francisco Standard story and said it should put Oregonians “on notice.”
“San Francisco’s recent decision to expand its homeless bussing program, coupled with Governor Newsom’s order to clear unsanctioned camps should put all Oregonians on notice: if we stand still, more homeless people will come to Oregon,” Gonzalez posted.
The commissioner later referenced Oregon House Bill 3115, which the Oregon legislature passed in 2021. That bill directed cities to make and enact ordinances based on available local shelter services and public space.
“Existing resources in Portland and Oregon are already overburdened. It is crucial that all levels of Oregon governments discourage migratory homelessness, including reform of HB 3115, while continuing to build a stronger behavioral health system and expanding access to shelter and housing for homeless individuals already in our state,” Gonzalez said, noting he will have a mindset of “compassion without enablement” when he serves on the newly formed Homelessness Steering and Oversight Committee.
Meanwhile, SFHSA emphasizes their “human-centered” approach is a way to best serve people facing homelessness and connect them to stable housing in their communities.
“The San Francisco Human Services Agency is committed to connecting our clients who are experiencing homelessness with the services they need,” said Trent Rhorer, executive director of the Human Services Agency. “Sometimes the most effective service that HSA can provide to our homeless clients is paying for their travel to reconnect them with their families or support networks in the city they used to live.”
KOIN 6 News has reached out to Multnomah County and the City of Portland’s Joint Office of Homeless Services for comment. This story will be updated if we receive a response.