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San Francisco overdoses are being fueled by a scarcity of sober housing, experts say. A record 320 lives have been lost to drug overdose as of May.
Should this trend continue, the city will see 770 overdose deaths by year’s end. Statistics aside, this is people’s lives lost, families destroyed, and communities ravaged.
Drug Use Retreating Behind Closed Doors
The rapid rise in drug overdose deaths comes in the aftermath of a city-wide effort to stem the tide of drug-related fatalities among San Francisco’s homeless population. But now the city’s overdose crisis is disproportionately impacting another vulnerable community: residents of public housing.
Richard Beal has worked in mental health, addiction and recovery for almost 30 years and he views the situation as unprecedented and dire.
The crisis comes amid increased law enforcement efforts against open air drug use. These initiatives have forced people inside, especially into Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) units, where they’re using drugs alone and behind closed doors where there is no one to render aid in the event of an overdose.
San Francisco Overdoses Hit the PSH
The Housing First model in San Francisco was born from a desire to address homelessness but it has gaps that experts warn are fueling the overdose crisis. There are currently more than 500 single room occupancy (SRO) buildings in San Francisco with over 30,000 tenants in the PSH program. About 80% of those tenants struggle with mental illness, substance misuse or both.
But right now PSH residents who are experiencing addiction or mental illness are not required to engage in any form of treatment. Without access to addiction recovery or mental health services persons living in PSH units are left to spiral into their disease. As long as this situation continues unchecked, authorities caution, more lives will be lost.
Richard Beal, Directory of Recovery Services for the Tenderloin Housing Clinic, argues that the answer lies not in abandoning the Housing First initiative. Rather he argues for more structure, accountability and safety in PSH housing.
This includes ensuring access to sober housing for PSH residents who wish to pursue recovery. At present San Francisco has no permanent drug free public housing sites and it’s a gap in services that Beal suggests is contributing to the record number of drug fatalities ravaging the city.
Edward Shaw, of the Tenderloin Housing Clinic, recommends that residents who are experiencing addiction or mental illness be required to receive case management services. Such services could include access to medical and mental health care and addiction recovery programs.
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