Supervisors introduce local emergency, push for multiple navigation centers as homelessness crisis intensifies

Supervisors on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors used the March meeting to press the city to speed construction of shelters and navigation centers and to introduce a local emergency declaration aimed at cutting red tape.

Supervisor David Campos introduced a resolution declaring a local shelter emergency and asked the board to waive the usual 30‑day rule so the city could take expedited action to build additional navigation centers on city property. Campos said the city needs an "additional 6 navigation centers in the next year," and that "3 of those centers must be built within the next 4 months," although he said the exact number and timeline remained open to discussion.

The declaration is intended to activate a provision of state law the supervisor described as normally used for disasters to "expedite the red tape that could be an obstacle to opening these centers." Campos also said the ordinance he will bring forward will require the administration to present a funding plan that could draw on emergency reserves and reprioritized spending.

The discussion followed remarks from Mayor Edwin Lee, who reviewed recent and planned city efforts on homelessness. Lee listed projects including new permanent supportive housing units, an 180‑bed shelter at Pier 80, a coordinated homeless department, a bond proposal to fund shelters, and a goal set by a city committee to subsidize 8,000 people by 2020. He also said the city plans to double navigation centers and identified two potential new sites "one near Pier 80 and one in the South Market area."

Several supervisors supported accelerated action. Supervisor Jane Kim described homelessness as the product of long‑term policy choices — reductions in federal and state housing funding, deinstitutionalization, and rising housing costs — and urged both local and state action. Kim also announced a legislative package that includes proposals to inventory surplus public land for shelter use, expand a citywide "pit stop" public‑toilet program, and create a single customer‑centered database to track services and outcomes.

Supervisor Campos and others said state and regional cooperation is needed. Campos and Kim urged the state to act and noted other jurisdictions have declared emergencies, which can unlock funds and allow faster contracting.

The Board did not take a final vote to adopt a local emergency at this meeting; supervisors introduced the measures and signaled plans to return with ordinance language and funding details. Supervisors said the board will hold the administration accountable for an implementation plan when it is presented.

Why this matters: Supervisors framed the issue as a public health and safety emergency affecting residents across multiple neighborhoods and as a problem that municipal action alone cannot fully resolve. The measures would speed construction of temporary navigation centers and require a funding plan; supervisors said rapid openings are needed to provide alternatives to street encampments and to connect people to housing and services.

What’s next: Campos said he will introduce implementing legislation soon and that the board intends to require a plan and timeline from the mayor's office. Several supervisors urged parallel state action to provide funding and legal authority where needed.