Justin Sullivan/Getty Images San Francisco has opened a temporary sanctioned tent encampment for members of its homeless population during the COVID-19 public health crisis. The program provides a controlled environment for homeless residents to pitch their tents and have access to resources such as showers, electricity, and food. Shelter capacity was lowered in March to allow for better physical distancing practices, but the lowered bed count has led to an overflow of homeless people with nowhere to go but onto the streets. Officials have long conducted so-called tent camp "sweeps" to remove people from the city's sidewalks. But the CDC has advised against doing so unless an alternative is in place that could allow for proper distancing measures. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. San Francisco has been among the Bay Area counties praised for its quick, decisive action in responding to the coronavirus disease, known as COVID-19. The city has lower case counts within its population than other parts of the US.