For Part 1, click here.
Outside the shelter
While the array of services at 711 Post Street may be attractive to those within, the residents and businesses outside have been suffering from the fallout.
Lower Nob Hill Neighborhood Alliance (LNHNA) member Barbara Swan led us on a walk around the shelter blocks. A collective depression has come over her neighbors, she said. They’re upset and frustrated.
“After the way we’ve been treated, why wouldn’t they be?” Swan asked.
Since the shelter opened, Swan says they have been dealing with everything from increased street garbage to off-leash, untrained dogs and a substantial uptick in vagrancy and dangerous behavior. Police records show extensive criminal activity by shelter inhabitants, from grand theft to assault with a firearm, robbery and tear gas, battery, vandalism, and trespassing.
Open drug use and sales around 711 Post Street are now commonplace, especially at night on the corner of Jones and Post streets. Swan noted several small businesses that recently closed on the block, including a hair salon and a sandwich shop.
In February 2026, the LNHA issued a call to action, noting that the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) has admitted that there are few rules at the facility to “keep the entry bar low.” The community group says HSH’s policy has led to four years of overcrowding, unchecked weapons, and violence, and the department has not been focused on making meaningful progress in addressing their concerns.
Neighbors against the city
The Board of Supervisors’ Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee held a hearing on the future of the 711 Post Street shelter at City Hall on Feb. 12. The hearing was led by District 3 Supervisor Danny Sauter, whose district includes the shelter’s location. Alan Wong (D-4), Matt Dorsey (D-6), and Bilal Mahmood (D-5) also attended. Approximately 40 residents, workers, and business owners in the Lower Nob Hill area attended.
During the hearing, Sauter voiced serious concerns about the site and management. “I’ve lost confidence that Urban Alchemy is the right partner,” he said.
Emily Cohen, deputy director for communications and legislative affairs with the HSH, presented her department’s perspective and goals.
Sauter acknowledged the site’s significant issues and said that, if it remains open, a new provider would be selected.
711 Post Street is “an attractive shelter for people living on the street,” Cohen said. Although HSH had been “unhappy” with Urban Alchemy’s performance, she claimed that all concerns had been addressed and that the nonprofit is now in full compliance. She also warned that two nearby shelters (the Monarch and the Adante) will close in March. If this site follows suit, she believes more people will be on the street.
“We intend to move forward and continue to operate 711 as a shelter for homeless adults,” Cohen said. “Based on accountability, we are exploring additional changes. We’re in active conversation with a new provider, with a one-year term.”
Cohen promised changes, including “performance enhancements and metrics to reshape the entire system of care,” and a pilot program with a 24/7 call or text line for neighbors to report concerns. Trash cans will be placed throughout the facility, and they will hire additional ambassadors to maintain order.
During public comment, each speaker shared their experiences:
“We have come to a crossroads: five years, 11 shelters in 20 blocks. The proximity of homeless facilities has turned our neighborhood into a drug-related paradise. We stand before you as taxpayers … we need you to step up. Close 711!”
“… crazy people shooting up all hours … the rest of the city should subsidize our rent.”
“There are drug addicts, people who have no respect for our neighborhood. My partner has been stabbed. I call the police at least once a day … 50 percent of businesses have closed down, people in my building have lost 60 percent of their home value.”
“Lower Nob Hill is in the National Register of Historic Places; it should be revitalized. …”
When public comment ended, Dorsey addressed the drug crisis in and around the shelter and made a strong statement about what he wants done. “Get sober, get arrested, or get out,” he said. Neither Wong nor Mahmood spoke.
Who will win?
After the hearing, we asked Sauter to clarify his position. Will he support HSH’s objective to keep 711 Post as a low-barrier homeless shelter, or will he support the neighbors who want it closed and returned to a hotel?
Sauter acknowledged the site’s significant issues and said that, if it remains open, a new provider would be selected. He also introduced another option, which is to make it into a drug rehabilitation facility. An interesting idea, but he also admitted that such a transition would be complicated and that HSH would be highly resistant to this type of plan.
The board’s decision will be made in mid-March. Meanwhile, residents, workers, hoteliers, and small business owners must wait. Will their neighborhood be restored to its former beauty, safety, and vibrancy — or will city leaders vote against them again?