What We Are Riffing About!

Specialized teams of outreach workers from Urban Alchemy will begin hitting the streets of San Francisco on Tuesday, responding to dispatch calls involving non-violent homeless people and behavioral health calls that were previously left up to police to handle.

It marks an expansion of the non-profit group’s footprint in a city that’s struggling with challenges around homelessness and crime, particularly in neighborhoods like the Tenderloin and South of Market.

Officials say the program will free up police resources to respond to more serious crimes.

“We’ll be leading our engagements with love and compassion and respect,” said Katherine Napoleon, a manager with Urban Alchemy. “I personally feel like we are better equipped to handle these calls where we are not afflicting more trauma on unhoused communities.”