San Francisco Wants to Solve Tourists’ Top Complaint by Hiring the Homeless
Photo Credit: San Francisco Travel is partnering with local businesses to help reduce the homeless population. Pictured is a homeless man at Pier 1 in San Francisco. Flickr / sergejf
Skift Take
Homelessness is a reality that has been exacerbated by various economic and public health crises. San Francisco is one destination that thinks it can find a solution.
The first thing visitors to San Francisco realize is the scourge of the opioid epidemic may be to some as emblematic of the city's identity as electric scooters, the Golden Gate Bridge, and sky-high rents.
Homelessness isn't a topic that many destinations want to address given the stigma often attached to homeless populations.
But the tourism industry in San Francisco, which has one of the United States' largest homeless populations, is trying to find solutions, including putting the homeless to work in tourism.
These efforts are rolling out as voters on Tuesday approved by a 60 percent to 40 percent margin so-called Proposition C, a measure that will authorize the city to fund housing and homelessness services by increasing taxes on certain business depending on their annual revenues.
Poor street conditions often deter travelers from venturing to areas in need of tourism spending, and homelessness and street conditions have consistently been tourists’ top complaints, sa
