San Francisco has unveiled a plan to end transgender homelessness by 2027, making it the first American city to commit to such a goal.
Mayor London Breed announced on Tuesday that the city would be allocating $6.5 million in its two year-budget specifically for an initiative to end homelessness among trans and gender nonconforming (TGNC) people, as the Bay Area Reporter noted Tuesday.
According to the Reporter, the plan’s initial stages involve providing at least 150 long-term housing subsidies to trans people and developing a new permanent supportive housing site for TGNC youth. The majority of the funds will be used to provide short-term rental subsidies and flexible financial assistance to TGNC residents and to support the nonprofits that serve them. Five hundred thousand dollars will be used to fund behavioral health services for TGNC people.
“With one of the largest TGNC populations in the country, we not only must ensure that all San Franciscans have access to housing and essential resources through continued investments, but we can show the country that we continue to be a leader on supporting and protecting our trans communities,” Breed said in a statement given to the Reporter.
Trans people are both disproportionately more likely to experience housing insecurity and more likely to experience discrimination and abuse when they are able to access shelter. According to Breed, TGNC San Franciscans specifically are 18 times more likely to experience homelessness compared to the general population, with even higher rates among trans people of color.
Local trans advocate Aria Sa’id, chief strategist for the city’s Transgender District said in a statement that she is “certain” that San Francisco can “successfully resolve homelessness for trans San Franciscans within the next five years.”
However, directing resources to trans people does not automatically ensure their safety. A February report from NBC News found that New York City’s Marsha’s House, the city’s only shelter for LGBTQ+ adults, has been plagued by abuse and assault allegations for years, with allegations that some shelter staff neither understood nor respected LGBTQ+ identities.
Breed’s own record on trans allyship is mixed as well. As mayor, she’s implemented the first official Transgender History Month commemoration in the country, and proposed a universal basic income for the city’s trans residents.
But Breed, who assumed office in 2018, has also worked with the cops to order sweeps on the city’s homeless residents and increased police presence in the Tenderloin district, which is heavily populated by trans people. Last week, Breed announced that she would boycott the city’s official Pride parade in solidarity with police officers who are upset that they will be barred from marching in uniform.
In response, the San Francisco Transgender District said in a statement that Mayor Breed’s “lack of commitment to stand in solidarity” was “profoundly” disheartening.
“Mayor Breed’s decision to abstain from SF Pride Parade is a betrayal of inclusive values and ethics that have defined the city of San Francisco as a safe haven for the LGBTQ+ community for decades,” the organization wrote.
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