"...the closure of the center will cost the city because homeless women living on the streets will require emergency services and hospitalizations."

"You can pay me now....or you can pay me later...."

Any time a shelter closes, taxpayers end up paying more and receiving less for their hard-earned dollars..... SF: GROUPS RALLYS TO CALL ATTENTION TO CLOSURE OF HOMELESS WOMEN'S SHELTER SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) A group of homeless rights advocates gathered in front of San Francisco City Hall today to urge Mayor Gavin Newsom to ensure that equivalent services for homeless women will continue following the scheduled closure of the Marian Residence for Women. The shelter and transition program, which is privately funded and run by the St. Anthony Foundation, is scheduled to close at the end of the month due to a lack of funding. Francis Aviani, communications manager for the non-profit organization who was not at today's news conference, said costs have been soaring while donations have remained flat and that the foundation cannot afford the $1.2-1.3 million a year it takes to run the program. "The reason that so many people are sad about it is that it really is a model program,'' Aviani said. The shelter houses about 60 women and provides onsite supportive staff, three meals a day and allows women to stay for longer periods of time. Today's news conference was attended by representatives of the Coalition on Homelessness, Mission Neighborhood Resource Center, Shelter Monitoring Committee, Senior Action Network and others. One attendee held a sign reading, "Don't throw (more) women in the streets!'' Jennifer Friedenbach, director of the Coalition for Homelessness, said at today's event that advocates are calling on the mayor to put forth funding so that services equivalent to those offered by the Marian Residence for Women can be provided. Advocates argue that the closure of the center will cost the city because homeless women living on the streets will require emergency services and hospitalizations. Dariush Kayhan, homelessness policy director for the mayor's office, said today that the city was informed by the St. Anthony Foundation in May about the closure. The Department of Public Health has been working with foundation to find residents of the shelter other housing, which includes permanent supportive housing, moving to another shelter or residential treatment or moving to another transitional housing program, according to Kayhan. He also said that the city will be adding an additional 60 shelter beds specifically for women by January. Most residents of the Marian Residence for Women have moved out of the shelter at 1171 Mission St. in recent weeks and the shelter is scheduled to close Aug. 31.