Increase in homelessness upsets Duboce merchants
Mike Koozmin/The S.F. Examiner
Homeless people might
be heading to the Duboce Triangle area after being pushed out of nearby
gathering spaces in the Castro, according to one outreach specialist.
Merchants in the Duboce Triangle neighborhood are concerned about
what they say is an increase of homeless people in the area — enough to
call for a meeting with police and elected officials.
Business owners say they worry that violence and theft are increasing
in the area, too, due to the presence of people on the streets who are
mentally ill or have substance-abuse problems.
“We’ve been scratching our heads trying to figure it out,” said
Dennis Richards, president of the Duboce Triangle Neighborhood
Association. “There is additional activity at 14th, Market and Belcher.
The question is what’s going on and why now? I wish I had the answers,
then maybe we’d be able to curb the problems.”
Richards said the neighborhood association has held meetings with
police and city leaders, but if a homeless person denies services,
there’s not much that can be done. Since some business owners are not
pleased with the progress, they are hosting a community meeting today
and have invited police and elected officials, according to the
Community Leadership Alliance, which will help host the meeting.
Diego Azevedo, owner of Cybelle’s Pizza on 14th Street at Church
Street, said he was in court Jan. 23 dealing with a person who had
stolen a prepared salad from the store.
“He was under the influence of something,” he said. “The same guy was doing it to other businesses too.”
Azevedo said he’s had his business in the area since 2007, but the
increase in homeless people was noticeable after returning from a few
months of vacation in November.
“They’ve always been around, but there has definitely been more,” he
said. The owner of Golden Produce on Church Street said the population
comes and goes.
One possible cause for the increase is the removal of benches in the
nearby Castro district, said Megan Rohrer, executive director of Welcome
Ministry, a faith-based homeless outreach organization. The ministry is
partnering with St. Francis Lutheran Church, located on Church Street,
to do outreach and offer services.
Rohrer said gathering places such as staircases in the Duboce neighborhood are a draw for the crowds.
“As The City concentrates on removing them from one area, it’s normal to see them migrate to another,” she said.
Richards said the empty storefronts, such as the one at the former
sight of Home restaurant where Church, Market and 14th streets
intersect, could be a contributing factor.
“Without the extra eyes on the street, they’re hanging out and congregating,” he said.
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