San Francisco may be the only city in the nation whose mayor has inaugurated an "Annual State of the Homeless Address," a fact that reflects both the extent of the City's problem and its status as a hot-button political issue. As a homeowner in San Francisco, you probably feel a mixture of guilt, pity and irritation about people living on the street. The problem seems almost intractable, and homelessness remains an explicit feature of this wealthy city. A simple walk through downtownn San Francisco reveals the sheer variety of the afflicted: drug addicts, alcoholics, those with obvious mental health problems, the young, the old, the desperate and deranged, some clearly unable to care for themselves, others smugly advertising "I won't lie — it's for beer."

What can you do about the crisis? What should you do? First, be aware that the both the City and various non-profits offer a full range of services to the homeless; there are places for people to go for assistance. See the Mayor's Office on Homelessness "Quick Resource Guide for Homeless Services" for a full list of shelters, treatment facilities, meal providers and the like. However, if a homeless person has set up camp or simply passed out on your street, your immediate step should be to call in a qualified outreach professional from one of the following programs:     

• Mobile Assistance Program (MAP)/First Response Emergency Services: (415) 431-7400, TDD (415) 241-1193; available 24 hours-a-day/7 days-a-week. Run by the City, MAP provides transportation to detox facilities or stabilization centers. MAP personnel will only take those people who voluntarily go –– i.e., no one who is passed out –– and they do not provide medical assistance. Of course, MAP personnel will call an ambulance or the police, if necessary. But if you see an injured or violent homeless person, don't wait: call 911 directly.
  
  
• Mobile Crisis Treatment Team: (415) 355-8300; available Monday - Friday, 8:30 AM - 11:00 PM; weekends and holidays, 12:00 Noon - 8:00 PM. The Mobile Crisis Treatment Team, a service of the San Francisco Department of Public Health, Community Behavioral Health Services (CBHS), will meet with a homeless person, assess his or her condition, and provide linkage to treatment services or hospitalization, as needed. Emphasis is not on street intervention, but team members will provide this service. Team professionals are also authorized to place a person on involuntary hospital hold for 72 hours.