Brian HoweyThis story was part of coverage that won the 35th SPJ NorCal Excellence in Journalism Award, Print/Online Small Division.
A homeless shelter in the Tenderloin has ejected at least two residents for violating a policy that bars inhabitants from leaving for more than two hours at a time, according to a tenant advocacy group. The policy was instituted in response to the coronavirus shelter-in-place order.
Directors of two other shelters and an advocate for shelter residents criticized the actions by the Next Door shelter for violating city policies prohibiting unreasonable denial of service.
“My understanding is that we weren’t supposed to be denying service to people, so I don’t know what they were thinking on this,” said Shari Wooldridge, executive director of Multi-Service Center South, San Francisco’s largest-capacity shelter. “We’re working with a clientele that are not necessarily going to adhere to all the rules, but we try to do public safety warnings and talk to them. Having them understand the importance of the safety of everyone in the building is paramount.”
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