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Nearly 200 San Franciscans have been lost to drug overdose in the first three months of 2025 according to recent reports. Two more people in the Bay Area are added to the death toll every single day.
Newly elected Mayor Daniel Lurie is responding by making the issue his administration’s top priority. San Francisco Department of Public Health Director, Daniel Tsai, remarks “As a department, we are not content nibbling around the edges looking at these overdose numbers. We have an epidemic before us and we are going to tackle it as such.” Those on the frontlines of the war against substance addiction are cautiously optimistic that change is coming.
At the center of the city’s efforts is the Restore Program. It’s a bold approach that offers immediate shelter to homeless people struggling with addiction on the condition that they agree to enter treatment. The model aims to stabilize individuals quickly by connecting them not just with a bed but with consistent and hands-on case management and clinical support.
Restore has helped more than 340 people since it launched in March of 2024. Half of those individuals have transitioned into longer term services like residential treatment or sober housing.
On April 16 of this year city leaders announced that Restore would double in size by expanding to 70 beds. They are actively searching for new spaces to bring the total closer to 200. Much of the program’s success is tied to the Adante Hotel. A floor has been dedicated in a space for recovery at the hotel.
But challenges remain. Drug use persists in other parts of the hotel and officials are working to create stronger oversight and maintain the integrity of the recovery environment.
Community leaders like Cedric Akbar from Westside Community Services are urging the city to go further. They are calling for more accountability and truly drug free spaces.
The city is renewing its lease at the Adante and plans a much wider expansion of the program.
