SF supervisor to propose revival of Homeward Bound Program

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — San Francisco Supervisor Ahsha Safaí is proposing to return the Homeward Bound Program. The program provides unhoused individuals with travel and relocation assistance to clean the San Francisco streets.

The program allowed up to 1,000 unhoused people the chance to go back to their hometowns.

The Homeward Bound Program was initiated in 2005 by Governor Gavin Newsom during his time as the city’s mayor.

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Supervisor Ahsha Safaí says this program has been sidelined under Mayor London Breed. The program was servicing about 800 people a year, sending them back to their hometowns and off the streets of San Francisco.

Supervisor Safaí says in recent years, the programs only assisted a few hundred people, prompting him to propose changes.

“We are now putting it back in the municipal code,” said Safaí. “We’re ensuring that the Human Services Agency is overseeing the program, between itself and the Department of Homeless Supportive Housing. And there will be annual reporting. And so we feel like this way, there’s no way it can be sidelined again, buried in the bureaucracy or an afterthought.”

Critics have said this program is simply a way of sweeping the issue under the rug and pushing people out of the city.

Supervisor Ahsha Safaí responds to the criticism, “I think the way to look at it is there are people that are on the streets of San Francisco. Before it was a program that was pushed, it was highlighted. It was part of the toolkit.”

The proposals for reviving the Homeward Bound Program are set to be heard at a rules committee meeting on Monday.

KRON4 has reached out to Mayor London Breed’s office and received the following statement:

“Through the Homeward Bound Program, the City provides paid travel home for people experiencing homelessness who are seeking to return to their family, friends or other support networks in their hometown. In March 2023, Mayor London Breed implemented changes to the Homeward Bound to expand access and connect more people with tickets home.  

In her State of the City last week, Mayor Breed announced that with these changes now in place, San Francisco will connect 1,000 people annually with relocation assistance home. 

The Homeward Bound program does not need new legislation to meet these goals – in fact, the proposed legislation before the Board of Supervisors does nothing that will expand the use of the program in any way or help more people get connected to their homes. It’s window dressing that delivers no real change. The Mayor is focused on doing the work to deliver real solutions. This includes continuing to run Homeward Bound, as all as the numerous other programs, that have helped over 15,000 people exit homelessness since she’s been in office.”  

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