Reports show London Breed, mayor of San Francisco, proposed a plan on Tuesday that would mandate drug testing and therapy for welfare recipients in the city.
Breed said that the current situation is intolerable and framed the decision as a means to alleviate the city’s drug and homelessness challenges.
At a press conference outlining the plan, Breed remarked there would be no more ‘anything goes’ without responsibility. No more free money without responsibility.
San Francisco’s Human Services Agency reports that 52% of the city’s homeless population suffers from drug abuse, while the county’s Adult Assistance Program provides $105 monthly to homeless San Franciscans.
Twenty-five percent of those who died in San Francisco from drug overdoses in 2022 were homeless.
The issue of homelessness in San Francisco has been widely reported on.
According to a report, there were 7,745 homeless persons in the city as of last year, with more than half of them living outside. City personnel allegedly violate the rights of homeless encampment residents by performing unannounced sweeps of the areas and discarding residents’ items in the garbage instead of bagging and labeling them.
More than a hundred claims have been filed with the city so far this year, with most of the claimants seeking the small claims court limit of $10,000.
The concept of drug testing assistance recipients has been around for a while. During his tenure as governor in 2011, Senator Rick Scott (R- FL) signed legislation mandating testing for all Floridians applying for government assistance. Scott’s welfare limits, which he assisted in getting through the state legislature, were finally knocked down in 2014.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed said on Friday’s “CNN Primetime” that the city has been much too liberal on drugs, but she also replied to the news that Target will be shutting stores in the city due to crime by saying that people don’t buy the same way they used to.
