In a move that signals a shift away from the proven and effective strategy of “housing first,” the Board of Supes today replaced one of the authors of the housing measure Prop. C from the board that oversees its spending.
The board voted 7-3 to replace Coalition on Homelessness Director Jennifer Friedenbach with William Lemon, who runs the Castro Country Club, a sober space.
Friedenbach was the driving force behind Our City, Our Home, which raised taxes on the city’s biggest corporations to pay for supportive housing and services for unhoused people or people at risk of homelessness.
Sup. Jackie Fielder, who spoke highly of Lemon, said the move was more than a simple decision to replace one qualified activist with another. “I fear her removal is in retaliation for her support of housing first,” Fielder said. “Her removal further undermines Our City Our Home.”…