Do you feel comfortable addressing the problem yourself?

If you feel comfortable addressing the problem on your own, follow these steps:

First, clearly identify your concern.  

Reframe the issue in terms of the problem, not the person:

• ❌This person is always sitting in front of my house smoking.
  👍The cigarette smoke coming through my window is aggravating my asthma.

• ❌ These people are always doing drugs in the park.

  👍 I’m concerned about needles being left behind near where my children play.

Remember: Poverty is a social problem, but poor people existing in public is not!

Second, think about how you would approach the problem if the person were housed.

• If my neighbor has noisy parties once a year, I’d probably put on earplugs. But if they throw a party every week, I’d go knock on their door to complain!

• If my neighbor talks to themselves or seems a bit kooky, I’d take it in stride. But if they stop bathing or are constantly screaming or crying, I’d want someone to check on them! 

Third, determine what actions would actually solve the problem.

This might be things like:

• People being quiet or turning off their music starting at 10PM.

• People moving to another spot when smoking or using drugs.

• Helping people tidy up around their tent so it doesn’t block foot traffic.

• Helping people find safer ways of cooking or keeping warm than setting fires.

Finally, go and address the problem with the person.

There are a few simple steps to follow. If you feel unsure or uncomfortable, you can take a friend with you. 

1. Introduce yourself and ask the person’s name.

2. Explain your problem, focusing on how it’s affecting you and the actions that would help solve it.
   ❌ You need to stop sleeping here or I’m going to call the cops.
   🤷 You sleeping in my doorway makes me feel uncomfortable. Could you please find somewhere else to sleep?
   👍 I understand you need a dry place to sleep, but it makes me feel unsafe when I come home late at night and there’s someone sleeping in my building’s entryway. Would you be able to sleep in the doorway of one of the stores down the street that’s closed at night?

3. Ask if the person needs anything. For example, if you’re addressing a problem with trash, it might be productive to offer trash bags and access to your building’s dumpster! Sandwiches, socks, or cash are always helpful too.

4. Try to get to know the person if they seem open to it. Like with any neighbor, problem solving works best in the context of an ongoing relationship.

You have no obligation to engage with or stay in a situation that makes you feel uncomfortable or unsafe. If a person is being abusive, threatening, or violent, leave immediately, and consider another way of solving the problem, just like you would when dealing with a housed person.

Do you need additional resources or help, but don’t want to call the cops?

Here are some other resources for issues that you don’t feel like you have the tools to handle:

• 311: Trash cleanup, illegal dumping, abandoned syringes, human waste (never people or tents). Ensure that people’s stuff is truly abandoned before calling.

• SF Mobile Crisis Team (415-970-4000): For people experiencing severe mental illness. 911 offers mental health services as well.

• SF Homelessness Outreach Team (HOT) (628-652-8000): Longer term linkage to services and housing. Remember though, SF doesn’t have enough housing or resources to go around, and most unhoused people have spoken to HOT many times!

• SF Community Ambassadors: No longer active in all neighborhoods in SF (check the website for the latest), but can help with safety escorts and conflict resolution. Contact via 311. 

Are you dealing with a person who is being violent or threatening self-harm?

Our carceral system and police do not create long-term safety for our community, even in situations where they stop a problem for a brief period of time or remove it from view. While media narratives often say otherwise, homeless people are also far more likely to be victims of violence than perpetrators of it.

That being said, if you are in a position where you feel you have no choice but to call 911 due to an immediate safety issue, here’s what we’d suggest:

1. Take a deep breath.

2. Think: Is this a serious enough safety issue that if this person was shot or killed, I would personally feel okay that I contacted 911?

3. If your answer is yes, take a second to practice what you’re going to say. Be very specific in describing the safety issue to the 911 dispatcher. 

4. When you call 911, ask the dispatcher for the Street Crisis Response Team, a specialist team that responds to mental health emergencies. Note that this doesn’t guarantee that police won’t also respond.

5. Monitor the situation if it’s safe to do so, including visibly recording police.