Mayor Lurie Takes Action to Address RV and Vehicular Homelessness, Restore Public Spaces in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO – Mayor Daniel Lurie today took a new step under his Breaking the Cycle plan—outlining a plan that will help hundreds of families living in vehicles access stable housing, address and prevent RV and vehicular homelessness, and reclaim public spaces for communities across the city. In partnership with District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar, Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman, District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio, District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey, District 2 Supervisor Stephen Sherrill, and city departments in his Large Vehicle Task Force, Mayor Lurie introduced legislation to the Board of Supervisors that would expand housing opportunities for families and individuals experiencing vehicular homelessness while creating new restrictions with enforcement to prevent people from living in large vehicles on city streets long-term.

The legislation would establish a 24/7 two-hour parking restriction citywide for large vehicles and offer interim or permanent housing to those currently experiencing vehicular homelessness. To support this effort, the mayor has proposed $13 million over two fiscal years within his budget for rapid rehousing subsidies, a vehicle buyback program, and outreach and enforcement resources. The legislation will also create a short-term permit to ensure those living in large vehicles who are actively engaged in services are not displaced. Implementation will be led by an interagency group, integrated with the city’s neighborhood-based street teams, offering services and enforcing parking regulations.

Under his Breaking the Cycle plan, Mayor Lurie is transforming the city’s response to the behavioral health and homelessness crisis—creating integrated neighborhood-based street outreach teams, launching the Breaking the Cycle Fund with $37.5 million in private funding, opening a 24/7 police-friendly stabilization center, significantly expanding the city’s recovery and treatment bed capacity, and introducing new policies to connect people to treatment. Last month, the mayor also launched a public-private partnership with Avenue Greenlight to clean commercial corridors in seven neighborhoods.

“No child should grow up in San Francisco forced to live in a car, and no parent should have to raise their child in those conditions. Under my administration, we are going to give families better options, and we are going to give our communities and small businesses safe and clean streets,” said Mayor Lurie. “This legislation combines compassion with accountability, offering a clear path to housing while restoring safety, cleanliness, and accessibility to our streets and public spaces.”    

In May 2025, the Healthy Streets Operation Center conducted a large vehicle data collection effort that identified 501 large vehicles parked on city streets in San Francisco, of which 437 are being used for dwelling. This strengthened interagency response to the vehicular homelessness crisis will pair a comprehensive outreach strategy to offer services with enforcement of new parking regulations—restoring public spaces while prioritizing the dignity and well-being of those living in vehicles.

Key elements of the plan include:

• Specialized Outreach: The city will deploy new outreach teams trained to work with people living in large vehicles, with language skills and trauma-informed care. 
• Comprehensive Service Offerings: Residents living in large vehicles in San Francisco as of May 2025 will be assessed for eligibility for:
  • Offers of Non-Congregate Interim or Permanent Housing: The city will make offers based on individual needs and eligibility. In his proposed budget, Mayor Lurie expanded the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) family rapid rehousing subsidy program to support up to 115 families living in large vehicles entering into stable housing.
  • Large Vehicle Buyback Program: The city will offer cash incentives to residents living in large vehicles in San Francisco as of May 2025 to relinquish their large vehicles as part of the large vehicle outreach program.
  • Large Vehicle Refuge Permit Program: Residents living in large vehicles as of May 2025, who are actively engaged in services and awaiting placement into non-congregate interim or permanent housing, may be eligible for a permit allowing temporary exemption from the two-hour parking rule.
• Enforcement: Two-hour parking restrictions for large vehicles will be enforced citywide, with the exception of commercial vehicles actively loading or when parking in industrial zones. Vehicles without a valid large vehicle refuge permit will be subject to citation and potential towing in order to ensure safe, accessible streets.
• Improved Interagency Coordination: The Large Vehicle Task Force is designing an operations model that articulates clear interdepartmental roles and workflows, integrated data tracking and reporting systems, and defined performance metrics to guide progress, building on the city’s integrated neighborhood-based model for street outreach.

The plan was developed in close partnership with city departments on the Large Vehicle Task Force, including HSH, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), Department of Emergency Management (DEM), San Francisco Police Department (SFPD), San Francisco Sheriff’s Office, San Francisco Recreation and Parks, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Port of San Francisco, Department of Public Health, and the City Administrator’s Office.

HSH will lead vehicle-focused outreach to help connect people to available services within the Homelessness Response System, while SFMTA enforcement will be engaged with SFPD support as needed when towing services are required for vehicles in violation of the parking restriction after people have refused services or housing. Operations, which will begin in high-impact areas, will be coordinated by the DEM-led neighborhood street teams.

Next week, SFMTA will introduce companion legislation to their Board of Directors, contingent on Board of Supervisors passage of this legislation.

“This approach to tackling vehicular homelessness is grounded in compassion and coordination,” said Shireen McSpadden, HSH Executive Director. “We are committed, with the mayor and SFMTA to meeting the immediate safety and stability needs of individuals and families living in vehicles while providing opportunities for long-term prevention and housing solutions. By offering a bridge to prevention, housing and social services, we are addressing the root causes of vehicular homelessness and fostering a pathway out of homelessness for those in need.”

“This effort reflects a true partnership across city departments to address a complex challenge with compassion and coordination,” said Julie Kirschbaum, MTA Director of Transportation. “By working together, we can support individuals and families living in vehicles while also ensuring our streets are safe, accessible, and functional for all San Franciscans.”

“Solving vehicular homelessness requires effective interagency coordination and a consistent response across the city,” said Mary Ellen Carroll, DEM Executive Director. “This initiative builds on our successful neighborhood-based street team model to ensure people living in their vehicles are provided meaningful pathways to stable housing while improving community safety and quality of life citywide.”

“A citywide policy to assist our vehicularly housed population is long overdue,” said Supervisor Melgar. “I look forward to renewed focus to ensure that families, children, and those who have had to live in vehicles are able to fully transition to stable, secure housing, and prosperity.”

“For far too long, neighborhoods across San Francisco have borne the impacts of unregulated RV encampments—illegal dumping, blocked sidewalks, and public safety concerns,” said Board President Mandelman. “This legislation creates a humane pathway for current RV residents to find stable housing, while making it clear that new RV encampments will not be allowed and our streets will not continue to serve as shelter of last resort.”

“A well-functioning city depends on streets that serve everyone — and long-term RV parking is not a sustainable solution. We must focus on helping people move from vehicles into shelter and permanent housing,” said Supervisor Engardio. “This legislation offers a balance between compassion and accountability by prioritizing public safety, parking access, and community vitality. Mayor Lurie has advanced a thoughtful, data-driven, and community-informed approach that will make a real difference in the Sunset and across San Francisco.”

“I applaud Mayor Lurie and the city departments of the Large Vehicle Taskforce for their work on a policy that balances compassion and accountability,” said Supervisor Dorsey. “I am hopeful that this all-hands-on-deck approach will help make a difference in my district and citywide.”

“Our homelessness crisis demands urgency and follow-through. We can’t settle for temporary fixes. We need real pathways to housing, care, and stability,” said Supervisor Sherrill. This legislation moves us closer to that goal and reflects our shared commitment to getting people off the street and into the support they deserve.”

“We are very concerned about the increasing number of families living in RVs and other vehicles and have been engaged in thoughtful discussion with our providers partners, as well as the Mayor’s Office and the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, about ways to get these families into safe and stable housing,” said Erica Kisch, Executive Director of Compass Family Services.