San Francisco is where Urban Alchemy was born, and we continue to innovate and thrive here.
Urban Alchemy was born in San Francisco, and the city remains our home base. Many of our most successful programs started here, such as our interim shelters and our care coordination programs. San Francisco is also the first site where we launched our community-based safety HEART program. In 2023, we launched an all-women’s outreach team called LOVE, and we intend to keep working with the city to address homelessness, innovating around new ideas and programs to help more neighbors find shelter and permanent homes.
- in 2023, we sheltered 2,315 people,
resolved 21,504 incidents and
had 1,697,356 positive engagements.
Our teams have saved lives by administering naloxone to hundreds of people who have overdosed, cleaned up spaces that were previously crowded with homeless encampments, and more.
San Francisco is also home to our first oasis park. As we expand to other cities, we still look to San Francisco to guide Urban Alchemy’s growth.
Brandi Ghimenti
The Stanford Study
Stanford University’s Ethnography Lab launched a study of Urban Alchemy ambassadors’ work throughout San Francisco.
They found that the presence of Urban Alchemy Practitioners reduced crime by 52% and drug crime by 80%
Their analysis also found that we weren’t just displacing crime, but truly reducing it.
By the Numbers
Urban Alchemy has been an invaluable partner in keeping our city safe, clean, and welcoming for all. Every day Urban Alchemy’s workers are out on the streets providing essential services and support for so many in our city, and we appreciate their continued partnership in bringing out the best of San Francisco