Board adopts resolution urging ‘no gap’ in services as Tenderloin Center closure nears

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted 6–5 on Nov. 8 to adopt a resolution urging the mayor’s office and the Department of Public Health (DPH) to ensure there is no gap in services when the Tenderloin Center (also called the Tenderloin Linkage Center) closes, a move supporters said is necessary to avoid harm to people who rely on the site.

Sponsor Supervisor Ahsha Safaiel? No — correction: Supervisor Aaron Peskin? (see speaker list below) — WAIT: Transcript identifies the sponsor as Supervisor Preston. Nut Graf: The resolution asks the mayor and DPH to open promised “wellness hub” replacement sites in time for the center’s scheduled December closure or, alternatively, to extend the Tenderloin Center’s operations until a replacement is ready. Supporters said the site serves roughly 400 visitors per day and has reversed hundreds of overdoses; opponents said the center produced significant neighborhood impacts and questioned whether keeping it open is the best use of limited resources.

Supervisor Dean Preston, the resolution’s lead, told colleagues the Tenderloin Center serves hundreds daily and that closing it without a replacement would “place people at risk of fatal overdoses” and “exacerbate a lot of the street conditions” in the Tenderloin and Civic Center area. Preston said the center has served more than 112,000 visitors and credited staff with reversing about 285 overdoses since opening.

Opponents, including Supervisor Rafael Mandelmann and Supervisor Shamann Walton? No — correction: Supervisor Mandelmann and Supervisor Matt Dorsey argued in committee and on the floor that the center was an expensive, experimental intervention — Mandelmann said “it has also been an extraordinarily expensive intervention at a cost of $20,000,000 a year.” Several supervisors who opposed or expressed reservations urged the city to distribute services around the city, to prioritize longer-term placements and to insist on clearer metrics and management of neighborhood impacts.

Supervisor Aaron Peskin, a cosponsor, summarized the measure’s central point as “no gap in services” and said the resolution is an admonition to the executive branch to maintain urgency in the city’s response while replacement sites are finalized.

The board debated whether to keep the Tenderloin Center open if a wellness hub cannot be launched before the scheduled closure. The resolution requests that the administration either open the promised wellness hub promptly or keep the center open briefly until the replacement is operational. Supporters cited a coalition letter from more than 50 organizations led by the Safer Inside Coalition backing the “no gap” approach.

Roll-call on the resolution produced six ayes and five nos. The ayes were: Supervisors Ronan, Walton, Chan, Mar, Peskin and Preston. The nos were: Supervisors Safai, Stephanie, Dorsey, Mandelmann and Melgar. By a 6–5 vote the resolution was adopted.

Ending: The resolution does not itself appropriate funds or change DPH operations; it asks the mayor’s office and DPH to ensure continuity of services and to consult with community partners about transition planning. The transcript indicates the board’s expectation that the mayor and DPH report back with a plan to avoid a disruption when the center closes in December.