Supervisors press city departments on shelter thresholds, sweeps and tent confiscations during extreme weather

San Francisco supervisors and community advocates on March 7 pressed city agencies for clearer, more humane procedures to protect people experiencing homelessness during extreme weather after recent storms exposed gaps between written protocols and street practice.

Supervisor Matt Haney opened the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee hearing by saying the goal was to "seek clarity, to seek consistency, and to seek change" in how the city responds during storms. Haney and other supervisors repeatedly questioned Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH), the Department of Emergency Management (DEM) and the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) about when protocols trigger shelter expansions, how outreach and reservations work, and whether enforcement practices — including citation and confiscation of tents — are compatible with providing humane shelter.

Bijan Karimi, acting deputy director for emergency services at DEM, walked the committee through a recent storm as a case study: the National Weather Service provided forecast updates and a flash flood watch that prompted citywide coordination calls, situation reports and public messaging via AlertSF. Karimi described a 48-to-24-hour ramp-up, coordination of department thresholds and frequent public updates to partners and board members.

Scott Walton, manager of shelters and navigation centers at HSH, said HSH used pre-established thresholds combining temperature, rainfall and wind to decide when to expand…