San Francisco Mayor Lurie signs fentanyl state of emergency ordinance; unveils "stabilization center" in Tenderloin
San Francisco is ramping up its efforts to battle a deadly fentanyl crisis with the city's new mayor declaring a state of emergency because of the drug's impact.
Mayor Daniel Lurie on Wednesday afternoon signed an ordinance declaring a fentanyl state of emergency to address the crisis after the city's Board of Supervisors approved the ordinance Tuesday evening.
As part of the emergency declaration, Lurie also announced the impending opening of a facility at 822 Geary Street in the city's Tenderloin neighborhood that will accept people with urgent mental health and substance use needs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Lurie said the so-called "stabilization center" will be staffed by medical professionals and accept people dropped off by police, medics, and crisis teams to free up resources for other urgent medical situations.
The Mayor's Office said the state of emergency ordinance will allow the city to lease out the space more quickly and expedite the center's opening. It's expected to open in April with 16 beds and serving about 25 people per day.
"Thanks to the overwhelming support of the Board of Supervisors and the Fentanyl State of Emergency Ordinance, we now have the power to cut red tape and move swiftly to save lives," said Lurie in a prepared statement. "The 24/7 police-friendly stabilization center will be a critical resource, providing immediate medical and psychiatric care to those in crisis and easing the pressure on our hospital emergency departments and first responders."
"This center will be a tremendous help to our officers who are working hard to enforce the law and improve street conditions in San Francisco," said San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott in a prepared statement. "I want to thank Mayor Daniel Lurie for moving swiftly to address this crisis and empowering our entire city in the effort."
The emergency declaration comes a week after the supervisors voted to give Lurie greater flexibility to expedite the city's response to a fentanyl crisis. The vote allows the Mayor's Office to eliminate competitive bidding requirements for some contracts, solicit private donations to quickly add 1,500 shelter beds, and hire more public safety and behavioral health specialists.
The scourge of fentanyl turned some San Francisco streets into open-air drug dens and homeless encampments, along with causing a record-high 810 overdose deaths in 2023. Of those deaths, 653 were from fentanyl.
Last year, the number of overdose deaths in the city dropped 22% to 633, according to data from the Chief Medical Examiner's Office.
The city's former health director credited the decline in overdose deaths to reducing barriers to treatment and increasing access to medications, including naloxone which reverses overdoses by fentanyl and other opioids.
Editor's note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the number of overdose deaths in San Francisco dropped 2% from 2023 to 2024. The correct figure is a 22% drop.
