tv Mayors Press Availability SFGTV February 28, 2024 3:00am-3:31am PST
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it is a historic day we are announcing the community meeting we are having on the 20th with china town community college center to talk about the first sober supportive housing hotel not simply in san francisco or california but i believe the nation. i had somebody say how do you know the first in the nation. i researchd and have admit found another that is permanent supportive housing that is sober. what is interesting is that we have over 8,000 single adults live nothing permanent supportive husbanding in san francisco not one building for sober hotels. that is an imbalance that's had this project would fill that
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gap. >> you know, we did a survey. people don't want sober hotels they want to be the way things are. we did a survey of the existing residents for you 50 responded. 71% said than i prefer to live in a sober hotel. think of that. there are people saying they poke for the poor and low income and cap recipients the recipients themselves want sober housing. and this project would give it. this project is designed so that people coming in to the hotel have all graduated from recovery programs, 12 mont recovery and sober programs or are existing permanent housing residents supportive housing who want a sober environment. that will tells you well is i ground swell of support for sober living and finally looks
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like our city is prepared mote this demand. i think our hope is this if this is successful, and once implement in the spring, that -- others will say, why have we not done more. i talk to people all the time. why people can't understand what do you mean? why don't we. and there is a state law that upon prohibits going to a homeless program with mandated service these are mandated. i don't understand why we would say you can't when you are subdiegz rent you can't require them to have service. also, the residents the voters preferred to give their tax dollars to people who are trying to turn around their lives. i did an interview with a media person. tissued around his life dieing from alcohol over dose now a journalist. it is a way to go. i look arnold and i see people
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like steve and richard from my office. richard can answer detailed questions about when we have planned. and crawlford here. tom wolf could not make it. j. j. smith. where are you? >> these other people who have built what is now become a powerful recovery movement. but i wish you were here to hear this reality is without the mayor's support all of our add have kaes for sober hotels would mean nothing. i don't know if it is fair to call the mayor the recovery mayor. i really hope by the mayor takeing political step a step when you see people had oppose interesting different than when we have done. opposition and doing it differented no keep it this way we always done it this wave even if it is wrong. she had the courage to say,
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let's move in i different direction. so, interviewings her i would say give credit to the mir for having the political courage to take this on. [applause] and instead i will introduce the head hsh. >> thank you. randled and he thank you to thc for your per inship with the city on this. i want to thank the mayor for her support of the project. and i want to start out by saying this is the beginning. our community engagement process. we are excited that thc will be occupying this building and -- really work to support people through their recovery. and -- in their sobriety. but we also know that we need to reach out to the community and
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hear from the community about what is needed to make this building and the people who live in it good partners and engaged partners and neighbors. so we will be starting that process as. today this . is really just us announcing that we are getting red to do this. um -- i want to thank the mayor for her vision to further diversify the housing we provide. i want to thank the recovery community for your on going advocacy for people in recovery in our programs. we hope this new model will bhrt support people in achieving goals. we continue is very hard to be in recovery when you are around people who are not like minded and we thank you is a really wonderful new step for us to supporty people in recovery. i'm excited stand in the lobby of our newest permanent supportive housing and first
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sober living site the new will offer stability in recovery from substance use disorder. the initiative is a testament to the city's commitment to addressing the complex needs of individuals experiencing homelessness. and the intent of 935 kaern alines with our notification provide safe and stable housing apgzs with the context of housing first for individual hos have responsiblesed homelessness. >> by offering on site social service we can better support people in their journey. services in a safe sober living space combined will offer a chance at stability and an student to rebuild and a brighter future. >> sober housing representatives a long over due expansion of the city's housing first approach. we see this as a national model
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for a now version of houseing incorporates sober living for residents of thank you. >> [applause] >> mayor breed is coming we are able to make it happen. she'll be here in a moment. >> i would like to add i forgot to mention cedric al-akhbar. he is the foundations of our recovery and he is our next speaker. cedric? >> all right. good afternoon. everyone. i thank god that london breed looks in the community and the people for having more transitional housing to help people get to permanent housing. i was speaking to people that is here today and the community. that live here. and wanted to biggest challenges
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we should have to get the city back on the feet we have to work together. each one of us even with our difference. and brother shaw, i will encourage to you talk to the leaders in this community and the merchant in this community. to be able to get what they want also in this community and let them be a part of what happens here so they can be a part of making this community better. i do acknowledge you for the way you foal about had and the way you of course about this. i believe we all could be at this table to have that discussion. because one size does not fit all when we have to do in the city in san francisco is stop bickering amongst each other. get our people laying on the street off the street and put them back in responsible, effective and accountability living i thank you.
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[applause]. >> i want to mention that when you have a building is the entire building is a sober hotel there is comraderie with the tenants the biggest problem in sro is loneiness we have tenants in the rooms by themselves all day. they want to be part of a community we have events in the hotel to keep people together. the meetings we are having part of the recovery process, make people feel they are not alone. so, we welcome the support in the talking to the merchants and everyone in the community wants to be a part of the process society hotel is part of the community. as well. >> so does anyone before i will take questions before if anyone has questions for the mayor. >> um -- mentioned a safe preventive. [inaudible].
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>> why is it taking so long? we did not have a mayor who supported the movement like this one the drug problem is worse since covid. and there has been my view is this is when we the city on a path but i don't know if you want to answer that question. don't want to blame you. living a year or 2. >> >> not a blame as much as most the funding we have to support people who experienced homelessness is state and federal funding and we believe in housing first housing first approach. what that means we bring people to hozing and believe people neil that is hard to do that before and wrap service around that. this is a different model. it is very exciting we'll be engaging in this model but it is -- it is a moss for people
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who are on the path to recovery. who can be supported in an environment. we think we need both. so the city has been focused on housing first. have a lot of that. yes or noly works well. and this is another option for people who need to be around other people who are in a recovery community. >> i see mayor breed entering? >> yes, she is here. >> mayor i'm glad you arrived. because [applause] i had will billed you america's recovery mayor. you came to recovery day in august 18th. and you are supporting recovery hotels you supported recovery every step of the way. so, during that title to be recovery mayor. mayor london breed. [applause] >> thank you, so much. randy. and thank you to whoefrn is joining us here today.
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we are excite body the possibility of a sober living environment for people who have struggled with addiction and are in a situation where it is hard to maintain sobriety because of their environment. and when we were in places like the tenderloin community and i met with a number of people there. they were looking for other alternatives. and this possible site presents a possible alternative. let mow say, today we are official low kick out kickoff our out reach efforts. our goal and looking at the site is to reach out and to roach out to the surrounding community and to talk to the community about what this means. i will tell what you this means. what this means are people who have been clean and sober for a year having a place to maintain
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sobriety. it means making sure the people who are here are not impact other people's sobriety. and this means that we have plans in place so if someone gets to a moves to a different direction, our goal is to not 3 them out on the streets but take them out of the environment in order to place them in another location that could provide a lot more wrap around supportive service. this facility, our goal in this facility has everything to do with clean and sober living. >> and so what that means again is having out reach efforts with the merchant specials people who work and live in in community it begin those discussions. there is still a process that will occur this will -- go through the department of supportive services. and ultimately, again, it is so
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critical for us to think about other opportunity. and thinking about other locations outside of the tenderloin community. thinking about places where all people belong in the city and county of san francisco. that especially is important for the recovery community. as someone who grew up in public housing where during the height of the crack epidemic and saw lives destroyed, and changed and saw the lack of support and resources that were really available to help people turn lives around; it has been critical for us as a city to think about our investments. to think about the community differently and realizing that it is not one size fits all. not one program and that is it. it is a multitude of programs. it is sober living.
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it is sober recovery. it is making sure that we meet the needs of people where they are and we match the people with the solutions that they need in order to live a clean and sober life. >> today representatives a part of the commitment the city is trying to make to reach those goals. in addition to the 150 units located in this space, what i'm excite body are the wrap around supportive service this come with that. to make sure that we are not leaving people on their own but continuing to be that resource to be that partner. partners like the salvation army. positive direction, equal change with cedric. tenderloin housing clinic with randy shaw and so many who care about the work this we need to do as a city to not only talk about our belief in helping people to get clean special
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sober. but when we are invest nothing that sobriety. that is when we are here today to talk about to launch this effort. which includes a community out reach effort. we are grateful to be here with our various partners. we have so much work to dom we know but i think a project like had could be a game change and transformtive and exciting for so many people who deserve a second chance to live a life free and clean and sober in the city and county of san francisco. thank you very much. [applause]. >> that's why i called you. >> just to be clear for the people who are here to protest, we want to make sure we have an opportunity to sit down and meet with you and talk to you. about your concerns. and to be clear this is in the has been 100% approved today as
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i said, it is a part of kickoff the out reach efforts which will definitely occur. because our goal is to not intrude on a neighborhood it is to be a part of a neighborhood. we want to make sure that we upon listen and hear you out. we come in peace. to have these conversations. we this afternoon there are some bheem have not been directly out reached tochlt but want to make that commitment today this our goal is to sit down and be able to have this conversation as we go through this process. our hope is you understand this this is not about providing treatment. this is not about providing anything other than a safe living environment to be clean and to be sewn and contribute to the businesses and the surrounding community. and we want to work with to you talk about how we can do that i want to make that very clear.
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>> thank you. >> [applause] >> great any questions. >> [inaudible] >> i will say we are complying with the legally required noticing period on the 20th. >> why do we. [inaudible]. >> i can respond to this. >> and let me say, there is a process associated with this. there is still will be a meeting to talk this where your voices could be heard well is a plan to do a robust process to talk to various merchants and community groups. we have been in touch with a number of agencies. that are part of this community.
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and have gotten a lot of positive feedback as far as recommendations which is why this place is looked at as a sober living facility where you have to be clean and sober for at least a year before this is an option. the conversation will continue, this will not be the last opportunity. we are here to announce that this is something we are trying to make happen in the city of san francisco. so i want to be very clear that this is still an on going conversation. in order to accept feedback and hopefully you know get to a place where we can all be on the same page with the understanding that this is going to be a complex and hard conversation to have. we are here to listen and work with the community and why we did this before now is to announce what the city is doing to make sure that we are expressing we are committed to
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providing alternatives options for people to have clean and sober living and this possibility presents itself as an option to do that. >> are there other questions? >> [inaudible]. can you say more about what services will be offered and relapse sns >> richard will run our program. why don't you come and answer that question about. richard who -- running the program. >> yes. what is the question. what service will be offered and how will relimited partnerses be treat when they occur. >> every client will have a relapse prevennes plan in the first 30 days. we will have relapse groupos site and support groupos site. we'll reach out to the 12 step programs and have aa and na meetingos site and other recovery activities. >> it will be we will have
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recovery support specialists that will be working directly with cloinlts and also have recovery case managers. >> erika. >> hi. [inaudible]. i have a question about security. will there be security detail in front whether it is [inaudible], anybody will be patrolling? >> there is no security now, is there? we don't anticipate outside security. this will be a peaceful hotel. and its a peaceful area. we don't anticipate problems. >> any other questions? >> now. second question. >> the home committee meets
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march 7th. march 7th. okay. look if you have questions or think of we'll be here if you k have technical questions like the methods. recovery richard is the expert. he can answer and will explain it. i continuing is a special day i was talking to the times and i said i open karen bass is paying attention what london broed is doing. hope it miss to l.a. after this. >> i will add. with the work that we are doing here in san francisco we have been able to help over 15,000 people exit homelessness in general. and part of that has toefrg do with trying to help address some of the issues this exist. out on the streets of san
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francisco, which residentsment. residentses and businesses say they want us to deal with the people who are struggling out on the streets of san francisco and part of addressing it making sure we make investment in possible places like this to change people's lives. i believe this we can come together on this. i believe that this account be an extraordinary opportunity to work together. and to make sure that we create an environment where the people who live here and the merchants who live here. feel the people who will be a part of the community can be the supporters and protectors. i seen it happen before. in the district that i used to represent we had a very similar situation. i stein at the embarcadero navigation center people were opposed this environment. and the people who are part of that navigation center the
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people who protect the merchants and the communities and keep the area clean and free of the challenges that existed there before. so, we could look at this as an opportunity to come together and to make sure that we are doing everything we can to uplift people. while we are supporting the businesses and uplifting the businesses as well. this could be looked at as an opportunity. let's not let this be a chance for people to divide us. we have been through a lot during the pan dem and i can as a result real came together and the city is strategier. we left lane is sensitivity around upon what happen 2 years ago during the rise of antiasian hate violence in our city and in fact, this year we have looked at the numbers ap i hate dropped. by over 90% in san francisco. because people that we worked with african-american in the
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community. chinese-americans in the city became the ambassador and it is people who protected our seniors on the streets of san francisco. this is when we want to be able to do. is use this as an opportunity to support this community. to support the merchants and protect the people who live here and make sure that the folk who is are part of living at the new environment that they become embed in the the community in the way that uplift this community. so i want to be clear, we want to do more than just sdendz on a neighborhood and not become a part of one we want to work with the community. you have my commitment in terms of conversations that need to happen. and in terms of the out reach this needs to happen. we want this to be a win situation i'm hopeful we can get there. thank you all for being here today. [applause]. thank you and that's all. enjoy the day. thank you.
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