Safe Harbor in South San Francisco presents itself as a model of care and compassion, a place offering safety and stability to those experiencing homelessness, addiction, and mental health crises. But the reality inside tells a very different story: one of institutional neglect, exploitative labor practices, and a leadership culture that turns its back on the very workers keeping the facility from collapse. At the core of this broken system are the Program Aides. They are the lowest-paid, least-supported employees who also happen to be the shelter's most essential, life-saving personnel. Program Aides are responsible for the daily survival of many clients. They are the ones responding to overdoses, administering Narcan, stopping suicide attempts, de-escalating violence, and protecting both clients and staff in real time. They are also the emotional backbone of the shelter and are trusted by clients, informed on their histories, and constantly engaged on the floor. Residents consistently describe Program Aides as the only staff who are present, empathetic, and reliable. And yet, these workers are paid near minimum wage. TO SAVE LIVES!!! No hazard pay. No trauma support. No career protection. No structural power. Meanwhile, Case Managers and administrative staff -- many of whom have limited TO ZERO contact with clients and have been repeatedly cited in client complaints -- earn far more for doing far less and caring even less. Numerous residents (and their family members and loved ones) report being dismissed, belittled, or outright ignored by Case Managers and upper-level staff, while turning to Program Aides for meaningful support. This isn't an open secret. Everyone knows. Internal staff have raised concerns. Clients have shared these experiences. Community observers and even first responders from the South San Francisco Police and Fire Departments have seen firsthand how Program Aides act before 911 is even called. And still, leadership does nothing. NOT A THING! Safe Harbor's executive and administrative leadership has been repeatedly made aware of the dangerous, unsustainable nature of this disparaged, and have chosen to ignore it. Concerns are routinely minimized, feedback is deflected, and the people closest to the crisis, the Program Aides, remain underpaid, unprotected, and unheard. This is not simply poor management. It is a systemic betrayal of both workers and clients. The consequences are already showing: high turnover, deteriorating morale, and safety risks all while the executives sit comfortably above the chaos, insulated from the trauma, the danger, and the human cost. If you support Safe Harbor through donations, volunteer hours, or advocacy, you have a right and a responsibility to know how the system works. Visit the facility. Talk to the Aides. Talk to the clients. See for yourself who's holding this place together and who is looking away while they burn out. It's your time and money you are giving to help and YOU DESERVE TO KNOW. This is not just a wage issue. It is a crisis of leadership, ethics, and basic human decency. Program Aides are saving lives. Every day. Safe Harbor is actively exploiting them to keep the machine running. Until these frontline workers are properly paid, supported, and empowered, Safe Harbor's reputation as a place of healing is nothing more than a polished illusion bought at the expense of the people doing the hardest, most vital work. Pay the Program Aides. Respect them. Or stop pretending this is a place of care. read more

I stayed here 2 years ago the first time I became homeless and it was doable but I'm back again March/April 2025 and it has changed for the better! The food is awesome for one, they provide a home cooked hot catered dinner every night and they even provide lunch which they never did before. At 10pm the get a delivery from Panera Bread. Before if you had a bottom bunk you weren't allowed to hang material for privacy but you can now. The staff used to act superior and treat us terrible and now they are very nice. This place has definitely improved for the better. read more

My husband and I had our vehicle engine blow up and ended up stuck in California. We asked for assistance due to the cold weather on our older bodies and we needed to get to Texas. We were told that they would be able to help us get where we needed to go, it has been more than a week and nothing. During this stay though some of the things I have noticed are 1. The food served is making many very ill, left out for days at room temperature. 2. There is one percolator for coffee, that is filled only once per day, so not even all the people staying can have a simple cup of coffee, most days there is no creamer or sugar. 3. There are camera's in ALL area's, no privacy for changing area's. 4. They turn extremely bright lights that they blast at everyone at 7am. 5. There are men who claim female pronouns sleeping/showering/using restroom in the female area's. 6. The worker's at the facility are aggressive and angry for the most part, which I don't comprehend. We are not the enemy, just some people who needed a temporary help. 7. No pillows and very thin sleeping mats that cause bruising on our old hips. 8. At 10pm there is a bed check to make sure everyone is there, which is OK, but I don't know why there is man checking the women's area. 9. The transportation situation, the shelter is not on the bus stop, so there is at least a mile walk from the bus to the facility, which is difficult. It can take hours to get where one needs to go and hours to get back, then a long walk. There have been a few times when the caseworker did give us a Lyft to an appointment. 10. There is cereal out all day, but never milk. 11. The computer that is set up for people to search for work, communication with services, etc. Is not working at all. There is only one for everyone and it doesn't work. Seems to be a hindrance for those trying to locate help and assistance 12. The statement "I will check the camera's" is a bit too frequent from the worker's. For instance, I signed up to do laundry and I used one of the rolling baskets to roll the clothes to my bed area and then returned the basket,(I have a broken collar bone that is trying to heal). One of the worker's Maria, had seen me roll it to the bed area but apparently not return it, someone did not return it after they used it and I came back to the basket placed in front of my bed area, I moved it a away and some of the other women told me, Maria had threatened to give me a demerit for not putting it up. I had already been deemed guilty and threatened. What the heck is this demerit thing? When I approached Maria about it, she stated "I saw you use it", and ended with, "I will check the camera's ". 13. The eating/work area is difficult to accomplish anything. Every time I get the computer set up to look for assistance for our situation, we are told we have to move out of the room. There is no other area for my husband and I to work together and figure things out. Making it even more difficult. 14. When/where did the help for mental difficulties break down? Just about every single body here has physical/mental disabilities that seem to have them stuck with no actual help to improve or learn coping skills. They stay at this shelter for an allotted amount of days, then they move to another, or get put out. I am thankful that we are not staying outside, and our stay here is temporary, but I am writing this to possibly improve things for those that come behind us. Love one another! read more

The worst shelter in the entire Bay Area it neglects the homeless population here and filled with extreme carelessness and improper diligence of where the people live when they leave. Awful. Awful. Awful. read more

I was told to go away and any inquiries about meals are confidential! The lady on the phone was not the least bit concerned about my hunger. Me: " I don't want to bother anyone, I just was asking about meals". Long pause..... Lady: "And?!!" She then said "Go to a church!" And hung up the phone. read more

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A (LATE) UPDATE: I had no choice but to move back to this shelter again, but I was reluctant and hesitant from my first experience the first time here with Telia still working there. I was at Safe Harbor again from August 2018 to January 2019. This time, I admit that Telia was alright, but only because I finally had a job working, which was causing me not to stay back at the shelter so much. This time though, the staff member/case manager to try to avoid if you have to stay here is Joran. I had him as my case manager the second time. He seemed good at first, but then overtime, he started to not really know or like dealing with me because I struggle with mental health, so I needed certain expectations from the shelter because I get high anxiety a lot. Joran was basically an asshole to me and my mother. Me and my mother were both here, both times together. Joran disliked my mother as well because he had some issues with me, and the fact that she was my mother, so he took a lot of it on her I believe. I also had another case manager from the Mental Health Association of San Mateo County, and a few times, he was rude to her too. To break this into a short summary, the staff switched my bunk mate and put me with someone who I didn't feel comfortable with. My anxiety increased a lot. I've requested to switch beds with someone several times to Joran because he was my case manager, and he declined and got Anje to decline with him as well. I even got a note from my psychiatrist requesting the bed change because of how bad my anxiety was, and him and Anje called my psychiatrist and told her (very rudely) that if I required that "special" bed change, then I wouldn't be allowed to stay there because I would be "beyond their level of care"! So they basically still don't care about the mental health people and their needs. I was admitted to the hospital several times while I was there because of that. I was also kicked out of there because of Joran. Joran called the cops on me because he made a big deal about me hanging out with another female client that was in the same bed area as me. He told the cops that he didn't want me on the premises anymore, and because of that I was banned for a year. A few days later, I was back at Maple Street Shelter. Seriously! Try to avoid staying at this shelter! Maple Street is better! That staff is kinder there, and the actually helped me and my mom get into our actual home. I'm proud to say that I'm living in a home now, thanks to Maple Street! Maple helps you WAY A LOT better! They actually even provide free counseling to clients if you talk to your case manager there(which helps with mental health), that Safe Harbor does NOT do! Also to disclaim that I have nothing against Samaritan House themselves, just the staff at this shelter alone. Samaritan House was actually the agency that helped me get back into Maple St after Joran had me kicked out. read more

Also known as Safe Harbor Shelter (per the large sign outside of their building). I am fortunate enough to not have personal experience staying at this shelter; however, I have volunteered at shelter homes and food banks a couple times throughout my lifetime. Per my previous volunteer experience, I've always encountered people who puts their time at these facilities are friendly, hard-working, and welcoming. However, the person I spoke to over the phone including my husband's in person experience from the shelter was not a pleasant at all! I hosted a birthday party for my daughter and have a lot of leftover professional catered food, enough to feed 8-10 people. In the spirit of teaching my daughter good deeds and don't want to be wasteful. I searched online for a place where we can donate these leftover food. I found Safe Harbor and was happy to see they are open 24/7 so we would have the chance to drop off the food after work. Not knowing how the procedure or requirements are, I decided to call in to have a better understanding. I called around 3pm and no one picked up. I called again a few minutes later and after a long wait (I was patient enough to wait), a woman finally picked up the phone saying hello without introducing the name of the place. (I was expecting more of a "Hello, this is Safe Harbor Shelter") I was asking her questions such as... I have food leftover from 2 days ago, will you accept the leftover food we have? Is it okay if we drop off the food around 7-8pm? Do we just walk through the front door or is there a specific entrance for food donors? Her response was "uh huh, mm hmm, yeah" Sounded really unwilling to offer more information and slightly annoyed. Around 7:15pm, my husband went inside with our trays of food while I stayed in the car with our daughter. He came back out with the food saying they went through our trays and say they will not accept our donation. Didn't give any reason or as much as a thank you for the offer. He described them as being unwelcoming and mean. I'm sorry, but that just sounded very ungrateful to me. They're a shelter from who is suppose to be friendly with an attitude to offer help to anyone who walks through those doors. Instead, as donors, we are unwelcomed, treated poorly with a less than friendly tone, and the ungrateful attitude is just unacceptable. Our attempt to do a good deed has failed although it's really not our lost. But it opened my eyes that not every shelter home is providing the care and standard of openness to those in need. If I were someone who seek shelter or who wish to donate their time or effort to assist, move on to somewhere else as this place will not provide the level of standard care. read more