San Francisco’s homelessness crisis has already started to impact tourism, and now it’s becoming more visible even before travelers get to the city.
San Francisco International Airport is reporting a surge in homeless people arriving at the International Terminal seeking shelter overnight, at authorities are struggling to deal with the numbers.
SFO police officers report a three-fold spike in the number of interactions or calls for assistance involving homeless people at the airport.
The airport says a large number of people take the last BART train to SFO each night to find shelter.
"This particular arrival at night is an area of focus as a disproportionate number of riders on trains are homeless," said airport spokesman Doug Yakel.
"We’ve been working with BART to examine where trains terminate for the night, and we’ve also requested that BART sweep trains for homeless before they arrive at SFO."
The airport says it is working with San Mateo County homeless services agencies to try to help homeless individuals rather than just moving them on from the airport per the current policy of SFO officers.
"There is now a process in place to have homeless outreach services provided at the airport on an occasional basis," San Mateo County Homeless and Safety Net Team told The SF Chronicle.
"Our understanding is that the airport is continuing to assess the situation regarding people who are experiencing homelessness who spend time at the airport, and the Human Services Agency has and will continue to participate in discussions with the airport."
