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Commission hears disputes over family shelter 90‑day limit and grievance access
Summary
HSH has reinstated a 90‑day pre‑COVID shelter length‑of‑stay limit for families, with limited extension rules; legal advocates and providers told the commission that the department—s interpretation excludes extension denials from the shelter grievance ordinance and prevents families from accessing in-person advocacy and hearings.
San Francisco—s Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing told the Oversight Commission that it has reinstated a pre-COVID 90-day length-of-stay limit for family shelters and described the process for requesting extensions. Several advocacy groups and shelter-contracted providers told the commission that denials of extensions should be subject to the city—s shelter grievance ordinance and to in-person advocacy and hearings.
HSH—s staff explained the policy: providers may authorize up to three 30-day extensions when circumstances warrant; HSH can authorize additional extensions in exceptional cases. HSH said families whose extensions are denied may file complaints with the shelter provider and then a grievance with HSH, but that denials based on the department—s length-of-stay policy fall outside the shelter grievance ordinance because the ordinance addresses shelter rules set by individual shelters and the length-of-stay policy was adopted by HSH, HSH staff said.
Why it matters: Several speakers, including shelter advocates and legal-service providers, said that families who lose an extension are effectively denied service and need an appeal process that provides advocacy and an informal hearing. Mari McKeever, directing attorney for the Shelter Client Advocates program at the Eviction Defense Collaborative, told the commission that "the rights under the ordinance are invoked when a shelter guest is notified that services will be discontinued due to an extension denial or length of stay policy" and urged that the grievance process must provide advocates, timely informal hearings and explanation of the basis for decisions.
Advocates— concerns: Jennifer Freedombach of the Coalition on Homelessness and Megan Rohrer of Compass Family Services argued the same point, saying that denials of extensions are effectively denials of service and that shelter guests need access to advocacy and a clear, functioning appeals process. Freedombach said the current HSH email-based grievance process lacks advocacy services and on-the-ground support and that during the pandemic a centralized HSH grievance routing failed families who lacked phone or internet access.
HSH response and next steps: HSH staff told the commission they read the ordinance differently but committed to meet with legal providers and shelter partners to clarify implementation and to seek a shared approach. The department said it will continue training providers on the policy and its grievance communications and will report back to the commission on any clarifications or changes.
Public comment and context: Family-shelter providers and parents attending the meeting pressed for clearer rules and for more housing exits to avoid repeat shelter stays. Advocates noted that the department had reinstated the 90-day cap as part of broader family-system reforms announced in December 2024 intended to prioritize shelter for the most dire situations and to speed exits to long-term housing.
