Despite Prior Commitment, Breed Administration Breaks Promise, Refuses to Agree to Open Tenderloin Wellness Hub within Six Months

SAN FRANCISCO — Less than two weeks after shutting down the Tenderloin Center with no replacement, Mayor Breed broke her administration’s previous commitment to open a Wellness Hub in the Tenderloin within six months, following a question at the Board of Supervisors meeting today from Supervisor Dean Preston.

“The collective whiplash – among constituents, providers, Supervisors, and others – at the Mayor’s constant shifting messages sends the wrong signal – that saving lives is less important than playing politics,” said Supervisor Preston. “Enough. We need real leadership, not excuses, and we need it now. No more delays in opening life-saving wellness hubs, especially here in the Tenderloin.”

In September, the Mayor and Department of Public Health released an Overdose Prevention Plan, a cornerstone of which is opening new Wellness Hubs, including one in the Tenderloin, but they have yet to announce a date, location, or meaningful plan to transition people currently relying on the Tenderloin Center.

In addition to commitments made by the Department of Public Health during Preston’s hearing on the Overdose Prevention Plan, the administration reiterated its commitment to opening a new Wellness Hub in the Tenderloin by the end of the fiscal year in a memo to the Planning Commission.

Supervisor Preston has been a leading advocate to expand safe consumption sites citywide. When it came to light that the Administration was planning to close the Tenderloin Center, Supervisor Preston passed a resolution calling on the administration to open a replacement site – in the form of a Tenderloin or Civic Center Wellness Hub – before the Tenderloin Center’s closure date. The resolution was supported by over 50 organizations, including many located in or otherwise serving the Tenderloin.

Since opening less than a year ago, the Tenderloin Center has served over 112,987 guests. Notably, the Center reversed more than 300 overdoses and distributed nearly 14,000 doses of Naloxone to guests, undoubtedly saving many lives. 93% of the guests at the Center were from the Tenderloin neighborhood. In June, the Mayor unilaterally decided that the City would shutter the Tenderloin Center by the end of the year.

Last week, as nonprofit providers the Gubbio Project and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation were preparing to open Wellness Centers in the Mission and SOMA neighborhoods, it was reported that the Administration abruptly shut down the projects.

In response, Supervisor Preston joined Supervisor Hillary Ronen in announcing a plan to fast track opening of life-saving Wellness Hubs in high-need areas, including the Tenderloin.

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