Mayor Edwin Lee urges preparation and pledges to help 8,000 people into housing

San Francisco — Mayor Edwin Lee opened Tuesday's Board of Supervisors meeting with remarks on disaster preparedness and homelessness, saying the city must "always be prepared" for natural and man-made disasters and outlining steps the administration is taking to strengthen emergency infrastructure.

Lee told the board San Francisco is investing to ensure police and fire stations, hospitals and water-supply systems can rapidly respond to emergencies, citing work on Zuckerberg General Hospital, the new Chinese Hospital, a new public-safety building and upgrades across the city.

Nut graf: On homelessness, Lee pledged that over the next four years the city's goal is to help at least 8,000 people off the streets and into housing and services, citing navigation centers as a primary tool and announcing plans for new beds and supportive housing units.

The mayor highlighted the city's navigation-center model, saying the first center in the Mission District helped over 400 people move permanently off the street in a year. He said the administration plans another navigation center at the Civic Center Hotel with 93 beds and announced an additional 200 units of supportive housing to help homeless residents exit street homelessness.

"I pledge that over the next 4 years, the city will help at least 8,000 people off the streets and into housing and the services for good," Mayor Lee said.

Ending: Lee concluded by urging residents to prepare their families for disasters and to visit SF72.org for readiness guidance. He thanked supervisors and the public for their attention and the board moved on to the regular agenda.