San Francisco mayor London Breed has declared a State of Emergency in the Tenderloin due to rapidly deteriorating health and safety issues.
Officials are moving quickly to address the problem as over two people in the neighborhood are dying from fatal drug overdoses each day.
The emergency declaration allows the city to bypass bureaucratic hurdles that stand in the way of helping those with substance use issues receive behavioral health services and get off the streets.
"We've demonstrated during the pandemic that our city can step up with solutions to match the scale and threat of a deadly epidemic," Breed said Friday. "We need an emergency response for drug overdoses, with immediate rapid crisis intervention, outreach and coordination on our streets, with expanded treatment and detox."
The declaration calls for the creation of "temporary linkage sites" that would offer shelter and mental health services to people suffering from addiction. Most overdoses are due to fentanyl, which has taken the Tenderloin by storm and spiked the national opioid crisis.
"We have to act now with everything we have to save lives," Breed said.
The mayor pledged to disrupt illegal activity in the neighborhood, get people the treatment and support they need and make the Tenderloin a safer, more livable place for the families and children who call it home.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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