SF Mayor Breed announces new budget investments in permanent supportive housing
SAN FRANCISCO -- Mayor London Breed on Wednesday announced a planned $67.4 million in her upcoming two-year budget focused on permanent supportive housing.
The funds will allow for an increase to staff wages, enhancing social services, and "improving capital infrastructure, with a specific focus on the older portion of the housing portfolio."
According to a press release issued by the mayor's office, the proposed $67.4 million investment would be broken up as follows:
- $30 million over two years dedicated to increasing wages for non-profit staff providing support services and property management across the PSH portfolio.
- $32.4 million invested in housing programs to provide increased levels of case management services for tenants to ensure that they remain stably housed.
- $5 million to support capital improvements to existing buildings to address accessibility, safety, and desirability.
Since 2020, San Francisco has leased or acquired over 2,500 new units of PSH, the largest expansion in the past two decades. The budget over the next two fiscal years will focus on "ensuring equity across the portfolio while continuing to expand housing opportunities for people moving out of homelessness," the statement said.
"While this year's budget will help us address some of our most pressing issues, it is critical for us to support the investments that we have already made in permanent supportive housing," Mayor Breed said in the release. "We know that housing connected to resources is the solution to homelessness. These investments allow us to maintain the critical infrastructure and staffing needed to help keep our vulnerable residents off the street and in housing."
The funds in the budget are targeted towards wage equity with "$3 million ongoing to increase PSH case manager wages to $28/hour to provide pay equity and promote staff retention." An additional $12 million will increase wages for frontline workers including janitors and desk clerks who operate buildings in the PSH portfolio.
The funds will also allow for an increase in support services, moving San Francisco "toward a standardized 1:25 case manager-to-client ratio for adults and a 1:20 case manager-to-client ratio for families and Transitional Age Youth (18-24)."
More details on the plans for the investment into the city's permanent supportive housing can be found in the press release.