In an effort to combat the ongoing drug epidemic in San Francisco, a new center is opening Tuesday morning in the city's most embattled neighborhood – the Tenderloin – to help people struggling with drug addiction.
The Tenderloin Linkage Center is a part of the Public Health Emergency that Mayor London Breed announced last month, as drug overdoses reached a troubling peak, with nearly two people dying every day.
Services, from showers to social workers, are available on-site to people who need them. Public health staff and care providers are going to conduct outreach in the neighborhood starting Tuesday morning.
Other neighborhood providers will also be making referrals to the center.
"This a huge need in a neighborhood really under siege from the drug epidemic," said District 6 Supervisor Matt Haney.
The center on Market Street will be operated by HealthRIGHT 360, which operates several clinics in the city, as well as the Department of Emergency Management, and the Department of Public Health. The building is made up of seven floors.
Along with these three organizations, other nonprofits and service operators will be brought together in the space to offer as many resources as possible.
It will provide relief for this neighborhood, but will also provide life-saving care for people who may need medication, may need access to shelter or supportive housing.
Mayor London Breed drew some praise and some criticism when she suggested that people who use drugs might have to choose between getting help at this center or going to jail.
According to Haney, this is a health response — and people should not be arrested for struggling with addiction.
"We have situations where people want to access treatment, but they're told to go to here or there or the other place and wait hours or come back tomorrow. And that doesn't work," said Haney. "Treating this with urgency means we have to provide low barrier care accessible to all."
Although the center is currently set to operate for six months on a temporary basis, if it proves successful, it will stay open longer, said Haney.
