PRACTICAL FOR MANY. QUITE OFTEN, PEOPLE THINK THAT THE UNHOUSED LINE UP EVERY NIGHT WAITING TO GET ACCESS TO A SHELTER BED, TO DAY. IN SAN FRANCISCO, IT'S FAR MORE COMPLICATED EVERY OTHER PLACE I'VE LIVED BEFORE HERE, YOU CAN JUST WALK IN AND GET A SHELTER BED IF THEY HAD AN OPENING. >> BUT HERE YOU CAN'T DO THAT FOR MANY, THE FIRST POINT OF CONTACT IS THE HOMELESS OUTREACH TEAM. >> HOT. THEY HELP PEOPLE GET ON A WAITING LIST FOR A SHELTER BED. IF NOT THROUGH THEM. A PHONE AND THE INTERNET ARE OTHER OPTIONS, SO LET'S CHECK IT OUT. FIRST, I DIAL THE NUMBER AND I WAIT. YOUR CALL IS VERY IMPORTANT TO US FOR SPANISH PRESS ONE. SO HERE I'M SUPPOSED TO TALK TO SOMEBODY OR LEAVE A MESSAGE WITH MY NAME AND CONTACT INFORMATION. >> YOU CAN EASILY SUBMIT YOUR WAITLIST REQUEST ONLINE AND NOW I'M BEING ENCOURAGED TO GO ONLINE. >> LET'S REMIND PEOPLE THAT THESE ARE THE UNHOUSED HOUSED. SOME DON'T HAVE A PHONE. THEY MAY HAVE LOST IT OR HAD IT STOLEN. >> YOU'RE SLEEPING. YOU'RE NOT WATCHING IT. AND SO YOU LOSE YOUR PHONE, YOUR HOT TEAM, YOUR HOMELESS OUTREACH TEAM, WORKER CALLS SAYS THERE'S A SPOT. AND THEN YOU YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR PHONE TO ANSWER. AND WHAT HAPPENS? AND THEN YOU BACK. YOU'RE BACK AT SQUARE ONE. >> SO HOW DO THEY CONTACT YOU IF SOMETHING BECOMES AVAILABLE, LIKE A SHELTER BED? >> UM, I GIVE THEM MY EMAIL. THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELESSNESS AND SUPPORTIVE HOUSING SAYS IT'S WORKING ON MAKING THE PROCESS MORE SEAMLESS BECAUSE. >> CAUSE ONCE THE CITY CONTACTS A PERSON, THEY ONLY HAVE UP TO 72 HOURS TO RESPOND. WE FOUND JOHN WAITING OUTSIDE AN EMERGENCY SHELTER. HE MOVED HERE FROM IOWA TWO MONTHS AGO AFTER THANKSGIVING, HE FINALLY GOT ON THE WAITLIST. BUT FOR A MORE PERMANENT SHELTER BED. WHAT NUMBER ARE YOU? I AM, I CHECKED YESTERDAY, I'M AT 195. >> THAT'S WHERE I, UM, AM AT CURRENTLY. AND YOU STARTED CLOSE TO 500? I THINK IT WAS 490. YEAH JOHN, LIKE HUNDREDS OF OTHERS, IS WAITING TO GET INTO ONE OF THE CITY'S THREE LARGEST SHELTERS. >> HIS MSC SOUTH, WHICH CAN HOUSE 410 PEOPLE NEXT DOOR 334 AND SANCTUARY 200 PEOPLE AT THESE THREE LOCATIONS ARE ALLOWED TO STAY INDEFINITELY WITHOUT HAVING TO PACK AND LEAVE EARLY. THE NEXT MORNING, SOMEONE WE FOUND YVONNE AND HER DOG ZEUS AT ONE OF THEM. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN AT THIS SHELTER? >> A COUPLE OF YEARS. TWO YEARS, A COUPLE. I'VE BEEN AT ALL OF THEM DURING THOSE TWO YEARS. >> YOU COULDN'T FIND SOME KIND OF MORE PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE. >> THEY OFFERED. I DID NOT WANT WHAT THEY OFFERED. >> WHAT THEY OFFERED HER IN TERMS OF HOUSING WAS LOCATED PRIMARILY IN THE TENDERLOIN, KNOWN AS A HOTBED OF ILLICIT DRUG USE. YVONNE TOLD ME SHE WASN'T ABOUT TO GIVE IN TO TEMPTATION. LIVE IT. >> BEEN THERE, DONE IT. GOT THE T SHIRT TO PROVE IT. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? I DON'T WANT TO GO BACKWARDS. I WANT TO GO FORWARDS AND I DON'T WANT TO MAKE BAD CHOICES. >> CURRENTLY, SAN FRANCISCO HAS A TOTAL OF 48 SHELTERS, OFFERING MORE THAN 3200 BEDS. YET THOSE WHO DON'T GET IN MORE THAN 4000 PEOPLE HAVE NO OPTION BUT TO SLEEP ON THE STREETS. AMONG THEIR STOCK ARE THE INTERFAITH WINTER SHELTERS, FOUR OF THEM, BUT THEY ONLY OPERATE FROM NOVEMBER THROUGH MARCH. THEY COME IN LATE AFTERNOON AND STAY TILL 7 A.M. THE NEXT MORNING, AND DURING THAT TIME THEY GET A HOME COOKED DINNER. >> AT NIGHT. THEY SLEEP IN THE FACILITY. IT'S NICE AND COZY AND WARM, AND THEN IN THE MORNING WE COME IN 5 A.M. AND COOK BREAKFAST AND SERVE THEM BREAKFAST. AND THEN THEY HAVE TO GO BACK OUT ONTO THE STREET AT SEVEN IN THE MORNING WHEN JOHN LEAVES ANY OF THE EMERGENCY SHELTERS, HE'S NOW LEFT AND NAVIGATING LIFE AS AN UNHOUSED PERSON. >> JOHN. SO THIS YEAR, THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELESSNESS AND SUPPORTIVE HOUSING SPENT. 22% OF ITS $672 MILLION BUDGET ON SHELTERS ALONE. STILL MORE BEDS ARE NEEDED AND THEIR PLAN. IS TO ADD 1000 SHELTER BEDS OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. AND LET ME TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT JOHN. SO HE LEAVES HIS EMERGENCY SHELTER AT 9:00 IN THE MORNING. HE GOES TO THE LIBRARY. THE LIBRARY DOESN'T OPEN UNTIL 9:00 IN THE MORNING. SO HE HAS TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO OUT ON THE STREETS SO THEY ALSO HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WHERE TO DO THEIR LAUNDRY, YOU KNOW, AND WHERE TO CHARGE THEIR PHONES. AND HE'S IN A WHEELCHAIR. OKAY. SO HE HAS TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO, YOU KNOW, WHERE TO WHERE TO CHARGE THAT WHEELCHAIR SO THAT I DON'T GET STUCK SOMEWHERE. AND BY THE WAY, HE'S NOT FROM SAN FRANCISCO. HE CAME HERE, AS I INDICATED, FROM IOWA, BECAUSE OF THE SERVICES THERE. MUCH BETTER THAN THERE. INTERESTING. LIKE SO MANY. >> RIGHT. BUT IT'S A LOT MORE COMPLICATED THAN JUST SAYING, OKAY, THERE'S YOUR UNIT, H
