City outlines Tenderloin Community Action Plan, $4.1 million participatory budget and new "wellness hubs"

The Planning Commission heard an informational presentation Oct. 20 on the Tenderloin Community Action Plan, a neighborhood-led initiative built from years of resident engagement and the Tenderloin Emergency Initiative. Andy Nelson (Planning Department) explained that the plan grew from hundreds of stakeholder meetings and surveys and will be implemented through interagency coordination and a newly constituted community stakeholder group.

The city said it has $4.1 million in budget funding for the plan: $600,000 earmarked for community engagement, facilitation, interpretation and stipends, and roughly $3.5 million for shovel-ready projects chosen through a participatory budgeting process. Staff described a condensed participatory budgeting schedule that will develop project criteria with residents, produce a final list of projects and then hold neighborhood-wide voting.

Department of Public Health Director staff Krista Gaeta said the city will transition services provided at the Tenderloin Center (TLC) into smaller neighborhood "wellness hubs" that provide overdose-prevention services, harm reduction supplies, linkage to treatment, housing referrals and low-barrier supports. DPH said it aims to open 2 to 3 wellness hubs before the end of the fiscal year and is coordinating with other departments to minimize any gap when the TLC closes (staff said the TLC lease ends Dec. 31 and anticipated an early-December closure if new sites are ready).

Community speakers and resident-led groups largely endorsed the plan, praised inclusive stakeholder processes and urged swift implementation and protections for existing residents. Commissioners asked about outreach to non-English speakers, youth and people living on the sidewalk; staff said outreach includes translated materials, language-specific focus groups and stipends for participants. Staff said the participatory budgeting and project selection are underway and that disbursement of implementation funding is expected within months.