But at the city's only free, in-person addiction and recovery counseling certification program, housed at City College, there are waitlists for nearly every class. Graduates of the program can take an exam to become state-certified substance use disorder counselors - the exact people Lurie says San Francisco needs - but City College isn't pumping out a battalion of counselors. Why not? Money, and a dearth of classes.
Many students who seek to finish their programs will have to enroll in the college for extra terms to meet requirements for a certificate or degree thanks to too few classes scheduled for the Fall 2025 term.