Rape is rife in tent cities

In 2006, I was part of a project under then-Mayor Gavin Newsom that surveyed the homeless individuals on San Francisco streets. We asked: “What caused you to become homeless?” “Domestic violence” was second only to “couldn’t pay rent.” Today, domestic violence remains a leading cause of homelessness — and it persists even after victims flee their dangerous homes. That is why I favor instead the “Housing Not Tents” policy proposed by Supervisor Mark Farrell on the ballot as Proposition Q. Because you can’t lock the door of your sidewalk tent to protect yourself, the tent cities that are cropping up all over the city have become a haven for domestic violence and sexual assault. For people like me who work in the field of domestic violence and sexual assault, it’s no secret that the encampments are increasingly dangerous.

Near my workplace in the Mission, the sidewalk is overrun with tents. I have personally witnessed many acts of domestic violence there. Intimate partner violence knows no bounds. I have seen fighting between same-sex couples as well as heterosexual couples. My staff has seen me go out on the fire escape above Plum Alley to break up fights between homeless couples.

In addition to seeing physical violence and verbal abuse, I have witnessed “property violence,” where one partner throws the belongings of the other out onto the street.

The situation is out of hand. The San Francisco Police Department reports 13 rapes in tent encampments since January 2015. Seven rapes took place in the first six months of 2016 alone. My organization, La Casa de Las Madres, has experienced an uptick in hotline calls from officers responding to domestic violence and sexual assaults in the tent cities. We believe dozens more incidents have gone unreported.

Jeff Kositsky, the director of the San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, reports that the level of crime and sexual assaults in the tents is “horrifying,” and we agree.

Right under our noses, homeless women and men are being exploited and abused. It is our responsibility to do better by them.

Some in City Hall are seeking to prolong the existence of the tent cities by installing electric power and running water. We fear this would create a permanent sanctuary for those who would perpetrate the growing epidemic of sexual assault and other violence that is occurring within the tents and among this population.

Prop. Q seeks to remove the tents and place homeless people in housing coupled with services. Prop. Q already has won support from a broad coalition including merchants and business owners, the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, police officers and firefighters.

Prop. Q will require 24 hours’ notice before tents are removed. There must be a specific shelter or housing opportunity available, and an individual’s personal property must be stored for up to 90 days.

The opponents of Prop. Q are arguing that it is not compassionate to remove people from the tent encampments. We believe it is not compassionate to allow women to remain in an unsafe environment where rape and other forms of violence are on the rise.

True compassion is finding safer alternatives and supporting services to help homeless people start anew. True compassion is taking a stand against rape and violence against women.

“Housing Not Tents” is not a panacea, but it is a step in the right direction. Tent cities are not a safe place for anyone — let alone vulnerable women — to live. Nobody should have to live in fear. Period.

Prop. Q will make our city safer. It will move at-risk people into the housing and services that they need.