Plans for a sober living center in San Francisco’s Chinatown are being dropped by the city in favor of a different location, according to a statement from Mayor London Breed’s office Tuesday.
The city had planned to convert the North Beach Hotel into a permanent housing facility for people in recovery from alcohol and drugs. The site sits at the corner of Kearny Street and Columbus Avenue, near shops and restaurants in Chinatown.
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Then, on Tuesday, Breed’s office released a statement saying that the city would look for an alternate site for the facility. It added that support from the surrounding community was important for the program’s success, and that conversations with them indicated that that wasn’t there.
The statement concluded by saying Breed remained committed to finding another location for the program.
Read the statement form the mayor’s office in its entirety below:
“After meeting with many community members, we have decided to pursue an alternative location for the Sober Living project that had been proposed at the North Beach Hotel. For this critical new program to be successful, it’s important for it to have support from the surrounding community. It became clear from my conversations with many in the area that this support was not there.
I remain firmly committed to establishing this new sober housing program at another location, which will be the first of its kind in San Francisco. It will create an opportunity for those in recovery who want to live in housing free from alcohol or drugs to live their lives and to thrive. We need to establish different paths for people who need support, and sober housing absolutely will be a part of our strategy here in San Francisco.”
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