Jeffrey Wang has run the Castro clothing shop Entour since 2016. He’s seen an upswing in business since late 2023, when he moved the store a block from the original location, under the buzzy Castro bar Lookout, to a much bigger storefront at 2319 Market St.
Last August, however, Wang was hit with a major setback: A crew of burglars broke his window. A month later, it happened again. Wang wasn’t so worried about the stolen merchandise, which totaled around $500. The two shattered windows were a much bigger problem, costing $3,500 each.
Luckily, he got help from San Francisco’s vandalism relief program, which provides up to $2,000 per grant to small businesses to help pay for broken windows, locks, doors, and graffiti.
Since its inception in late 2021, the program has allowed businesses to claim grants twice a year. Starting this year, businesses are able to receive up to three awards annually. In addition, eligible businesses in District 5, which includes the Tenderloin, and District 7, which includes West Portal, can now get up to $4,000 in relief per incident.
To receive the grant, a business owner submits a receipt of repairs along with proof of a police report, a 311 service request, or photos of the damaged storefront. The city reviews the costs, and cuts a check directly to the owner.
Wang received his first $2,000 about a month after the August incident, and is currently waiting for reimbursement on the September smash-up, which he applied for last month. He’s grateful for the help — but having spent more than $7,000 out of pocket in a span of a few months, Wang wonders if the city could do more.
“It’s better than nothing, right? Two grand is a lot of money, but apparently it’s not enough. My window is pretty big, and it costs a lot. But it can cost thousands more for some other businesses,” Wang told me. “These things happen over and over again. Even though my second window has been replaced, I still keep it boarded up. I don’t want someone to come and break it again.”
Outgoing Mayor London Breed’s final city budget included a combined $1.2 million in funding for the vandalism relief program and a similar, but separate, fire disaster grant administered by the city Office of Economic and Workforce Development. The program has seen shifting demand over the years: The city spent $819,000 for 535 vandalism awards in fiscal year 2023-2024, nearly double what the program gave out the previous year.
That may come as a surprise, since property crime has been on a downward trend in San Francisco. “The increase in demand can be attributed to enhanced outreach efforts and growing awareness of the program,” Kate Patterson, director of external affairs for the OEWD, told Gazetteer SF in an email.
In total, the grant program has given $2,262,000 for 1,686 incidents of storefront vandalism since 2021, according to the OEWD. And the annual spend is predicted to go up this year, given the expanded eligibility.
Justin Bautista, co-owner of the streetwear store Tilted Brim at Larkin and Ellis streets, has seen four break-in attempts since the end of 2020. He used the vandalism relief grant once in 2021 and twice in 2023. Bautista wasn’t aware of the program’s recent changes when I reached him by phone this week.
The independent shop has been around since 2016, and Bautista keeps a level head about conditions on his block. This is, after all, the place he chose to live some 20 years ago, when he moved to the city from the East Bay.
“Locating a business in the TL or any urban area, you’re going to pay a little bit of hood tax,” Bautista said. “We’re aware of that. This happens in cities every single day. But it’s way harder when it happens to you.”
The most recent incident unfolded on the night of Dec. 30, in which the perpetrators broke his folding scissor gate and main door, stealing thousands in merchandise and leaving thousands in damages. He’s currently waiting for a check from the city.
The process of applying for the vandalism grant is simple, according to Bautista, who is grateful that such a program exists at all. But he also is cognizant that, for many businesses in the city, a $2,000 reimbursement may not be enough to keep them alive.
“To get relief, you gotta pay the invoice first. And some people might not be sufficiently capitalized to do that,” he said.
He suggested that the city help businesses find a contractor for repairs, a crucial negotiation that is often overwhelming to busy shop owners.
“There’s no help with the actual vetting and securing of a repair service, which takes a lot of time and effort. I’ve been vigilant about getting quotes and looking for workers and it still can take weeks,” Bautista said. “It’s a lot to manage alongside a business that needs to survive.”
Wang, in the Castro, has a more proactive suggestion for the program. “I hope they can create a grant to help small businesses, especially those that have been targeted for break-ins, to help install scissor gates,” which can help protect windows from being broken, but cost thousands of dollars.
Such proactive measures are certainly possible. The city’s 2025 budget includes $5.9 million for the SF Shines storefront improvement program, which offers up to $20,000 for “physical improvements and design services” to attract more customers and “enhance operations.”
But there are no such plans in motion to include proactive measures in the vandalism relief grant. For now, Wang and Bautista urge other owners to seek relief whenever possible, and to spread the word about the expanded eligibility — it may be imperfect, but it helps.
