When it was time for Justin Marks to open up his skate shop, Low Key, he says San Francisco's Tenderloin was a natural fit.

"I wanted the skate shop to revolve around the Tenderloin's art scene," he said. "Our business is based around the community of the Tenderloin."

Over the past five and a half years, he's immersed himself in it – a neighborhood that has seen some of its toughest times.

"The hard times don't compare to the heightened good times that I have here in the Tenderloin," he said. "There was never a time where I wanted to throw in the towel and call it quits in the Tenderloin."

As images of homelessness and open-air drug use became synonymous with the Tenderloin in recent years, Marks says what was lost was the light shining upon the good in the neighborhood, which did and does still exist.

"That's a huge reason why I have my business here – to shed light on the positive activities and throw fuel on that fire rather than the negative dialogue about the Tenderloin," he said.

In terms of visible issues, he says the streets are literally cleaner now than they were about a year ago.

"If you call 311 and report that a sidewalk needs to be cleaned, they usually show up within that day, within a handful of hours – they're there cleaning it. That's been really helpful for my business," he said. "I think they're more responsive now."

That's a big step forward and long overdue, says Chris, a man who's lived in the Tenderloin for many years.

"The Tenderloin has been cleaning up," he said. "2023 and 2022 – it was bad."

It's a visible change that's easy to track. Crime is also down in the Tenderloin, about 25% year-over-year, according to SFPD data.

However, systemically?

"We need more help. We need more assistance for the homeless people out here to get housing – get shelter," he said.

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie says systemic changes are in progress.

"We're doing more on the neighborhood outreach teams to make sure that we get people off the street and into the help that they need. 822 Geary has helped us get people stabilized," he said.

The Mayor is referring to the 822 Geary behavioral health stabilization center. It opened in the spring and is designed to give immediate treatment for those experiencing mental health crises so they can be connected to services and shelter.

"We still have a lot of work to do. I am clear-eyed about the challenges. We're going to work in partnership with community leaders," Lurie said.

When it comes to solutions for the unhoused, Marks thinks they must go far beyond providing shelter.

"We can't just give them housing and then walk away. I think that's what's happened time after time," he said.

However, he doesn't expect systemic changes to happen overnight.

"It's going to take some years to see the success of these projects," he said.

But what he has seen is intrigue by first-time visitors or those coming back to the neighborhood for the first time in years.

"It's interesting, when people come to the Tenderloin Art Walk, they're pleasantly surprised," he said.

Marks thinks more exposure to events like the Art Walk and other activations seen during 'I Love Tenderloin' Week, for example, will work in tandem with the visible and systemic changes underway.

"I have felt in the last year or so that a lot more resources have been put into the Tenderloin and a lot more showcasing and love to the Tenderloin has been happening," he said. "I think the Tenderloin is very misunderstood."

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and Marks is on a mission to share the beauty he sees in the Tenderloin with those around it, one day at a time.

• San Francisco