Mayor Breed's HEART Team Reduces Police Involvement in Homeless Calls, Street Homelessness at 10-Year Low

May 16, 2024, 07:56 PM

San Francisco has implemented a new program to reduce the number of homeless-related calls police respond to, launched by Mayor London Breed. The HEART team, part of a $3 million pilot project run by Urban Alchemy, has taken over many of these calls to keep city streets safe and clean. While the program has succeeded in reducing police involvement, few calls have led to shelter or treatment placements. Despite this, Mayor Breed declared the team a success, citing new data showing the city's street homelessness population is at its lowest level in 10 years. The team has responded to thousands of calls in its first year.