San Francisco city officials temporarily closed the Tenderloin Linkage Center Friday so crews could make improvements aimed at not only enhancing the experience for guests, but also providing them with more privacy. Sergio Quintana reports
San Francisco city officials temporarily closed the Tenderloin Linkage Center Friday so crews could make improvements aimed at not only enhancing the experience for guests, but also providing them with more privacy.
The center located at 1178 Market St. opened in mid-January under Mayor London Breed's 90-day emergency declaration for the Tenderloin neighborhood, and aims to serve as a one-stop shop voluntarily connecting people living on the streets with services and resources, as well as providing basic necessities like food, clothing, and hygiene services.
The improvements made Friday are in response to feedback from neighborhood residents and guests who requested more privacy.
Under the new improvements, laundry and shower facilities will be relocated from Market Street to an enclosed area. Additionally, furniture upgrades will be made; more tents will be provided; and a larger space will be afforded to better connect guests to social services, city officials said.
Once completed, the center is expected to reopen on Saturday at 8 a.m., at which point regular services will resume seven days a week between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. daily.
The center's opening, as well as the 90-day emergency declaration, is part of Breed's larger Tenderloin Emergency Initiative. Despite the 90-day emergency declaration ending this week, the initiative will remain ongoing and continue to address a variety of issues in the neighborhood, including homelessness, public drug use, open-air drug dealing and violent crime, according to Breed.
Earlier this week, city officials said between Jan. 18 and March 7, the center had 15,612 visits, and of those, 3,268 people have been connected to resources such as housing or health care programs. In addition, during that timeframe, the center helped reverse 35 drug overdoses.
More information about the Tenderloin Linkage Center can be found at sf.gov.
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