Amid Opposition, S.F. Homeless Navigation Center Completed

A new facility providing shelter and services to San Francisco’s homeless will open this month, even after a year of community pushback.

1 minute read

December 27, 2019, 11:00 AM PST

By Camille Fink


San Francisco

Robert Crow / Shutterstock

Adam Brinklow reports on a homeless navigation center set to open before the year’s end along San Francisco’s Embarcadero. "Some of San Francisco’s neediest residents will soon live a few yards away from the city’s most expensive housing, despite the earnest efforts of angry condo owners in South Beach."

The new facility will house homeless individuals and also provide showers, restrooms, and outdoor seating. Brinklow says that this center will be the seventh navigation center in the city and the additional housing will bring the total number of beds to 566.

The area includes a number of upscale condo buildings, notes Brinklow. "Some of the homeowners inside those high-rises spent most of 2019 trying to scuttle the project with protest and a series of lawsuits. But in the end, [Mayor London] Breed’s plan outreached the long arm of NIMBYism."

Wednesday, December 18, 2019 in Curbed San Francisco

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Interior of Place Versailles mall in Montreal, Canada.

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units

Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

May 22, 2025 - CBC

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 28, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Rendering of California High-Speed Rail station with bullet train.

California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself

The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.

May 19, 2025 - Benjamin Schneider

Nevada State Senate building.

Nevada Legislature Unanimously Passes Regional Rail Bill

If signed by the governor, the bill will create a task force aimed at developing a regional passenger rail system.

May 28 - KRNV News 4

Blue sidewalk curb cut painted with white accessibility symbol.

How Infrastructure Shapes Public Trust

A city engineer argues that planners must go beyond code compliance to ensure public infrastructure is truly accessible to all users.

May 28 - Governing

Protester at Echo Park Lake, Los Angeles holding sign that says "Housing is a human right"

Photos: In Over a Dozen Cities, Housing Activists Connect HUD Cuts and Local Issues

We share images from six of the cities around the country where members of three national organizing networks took action on May 20 to protest cuts to federal housing funding and lift up local solutions.

May 28 - Shelterforce Magazine