David Heller: Why We Need Proposition M

San Francisco has struggled to solve the vexing problem of aggressive panhandling for years. It is clear that little, if any, progress has been made.

Visitors to our City continue to be harassed for "spare change" at ATMs and stop signs and too many of our neighborhood merchants are still stepping over urine - or worse - when they open up their shops in the morning because someone decided to use the doorway as a toilet during the night.

Today, it seems, our streets are more crowded than ever with panhandlers, many of whom struggle with the demons of drug and alcohol dependencies, mental health problems or a combination of problems.

By any measure, our failure has been costly, in both human terms and dollars and cents.

In November, though, Proposition M offers a chance to effect real change. Proposed by Supervisor Gavin Newsom, Prop. M represents a profound transition when it comes to how we've traditionally responded to the challenge presented by aggressive panhandling: Prop. M is an ordinance that recognizes aggressive panhandling as a symptom rather than a disease unto itself.

Prop. M makes it clear, specifically, which behaviors will not be tolerated, but more importantly, it nudges people toward treatment - those who are convicted in court of violating the measure are given a choice between either participating in mental health and substance abuse screening programs or facing the prospect of jail time and a fine.

Repeat offenders, though, would not be given a choice - they go directly to screening programs.

The importance of this distinction cannot be overemphasized.

A recent study by UCSF researchers, published in the American Journal of Public Health, showed that almost half of San Francisco's homeless had at least one visit to the emergency room at SF General Hospital. Among the homeless ER patients, a tiny few accounted for more than half of those visits.

Eventually, most of these people wind up in SF General.

The costs associated with each visit - roughly $2,000 for the ambulance ride to the hospital and $1,000 a day per stay - add up quickly.

Instead of landing in the ER on a regular basis, at a minimum of $3,000 a pop, these repeat visitors could finally get the treatment they need and the money saved by stopping ER visits before they happen can fund additional treatment programs.

Prop. M won't cost the City a dime and, more importantly, you can virtually guarantee that it will get more people off the streets than our current policy - doing nothing.

By adopting a clear and enforceable ordinance and diverting violators with substance abuse and mental health problems into treatment programs rather than the criminal justice system, San Francisco can begin to gauge how its existing programs should be reformed and whether or not city needs can more efficiently reallocate existing resources to address the root causes of these problems.

Make no mistake, Prop. M will not solve the problem of homelessness in and of itself, but it is a start. And for San Francisco merchants on the front lines, who know firsthand how the failure of past policies has resulted in lost business and the decline in the quality of life all across San Francisco from Geary Boulevard to Chinatown, it is critical.

Prop. M stands as a common-sense approach whose time has come. We literally cannot afford to continue doing what we've always done - nothing.

David Heller is the president of the Greater Geary Boulevard Merchants and Property Owners Association. He also owns the Beauty Network, located at 5748 Geary Blvd.