Board OKs short extensions for three shelter hotels; city agrees to additional neighborhood supports around Kova Hotel

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on July 16 approved seven-month extensions for three hotel booking agreements the city uses for non-congregate shelter, while officials pledged additional neighborhood supports for the block around the Kova Hotel (the Cova) on Ellis Street.

Supervisor Dean Preston, who represents the district that includes the Kova, urged the board to approve the short extensions while the city and community finalize longer-term plans. "This is a 95-unit hotel that has allowed people experiencing homelessness to have stability while they wait to transition to more permanent housing," Preston said, asking colleagues to prioritize avoiding displacement of the hotel's current guests.

The board adopted three separate amendments: - Item 32: an amendment to extend the booking agreement for the Kova Hotel (Shin International Inc.) by seven months through March 31, 2025, and to increase the contract total; the measure passed by roll call, 10-1 (Supervisor Mandelman voted no). HSH staff told the board the department will implement neighborhood commitments including an interagency MOU, improved cleaning, and community ambassador coverage by September 1, 2024. - Item 33: an amendment to extend the Adante Hotel booking agreement (Sayana Corporation) by seven months through March 31, 2025, with an increased not-to-exceed amount; adopted by roll call (11-0). - Item 34: an amendment to extend the Monarch Hotel booking agreement (Lombard Hotel Group) by seven months through March 31, 2025, with an increased not-to-exceed amount; adopted by roll call (11-0).

HSH representative Dylan Schneider said the department had documented commitments to work with the neighborhood and other city departments. Schneider told the board the city and partners had agreed to prioritize referrals from the Tenderloin into the Kova, to draft an interagency memorandum of understanding that allocates responsibility for perimeter cleaning and maintenance, and to provide community ambassador coverage on the block (7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., seven days a week) no later than Sept. 1.

Supervisor Aaron Peskin and others asked for written documentation of those commitments; HSH confirmed the commitments will be memorialized in an MOU signed by department leadership and participating agencies and that HSH had transmitted details to Supervisor Preston's office and neighborhood stakeholders.

Why it matters San Francisco has relied on converted hotels as non-congregate shelter since the pandemic. Neighbors and small-business owners have repeatedly raised concerns about the public-safety and sanitation impacts near some sites. The seven-month extensions keep hotel rooms available while the city negotiates longer-term outcomes and neighborhood protections.

What to watch next HSH and partner departments will produce the interagency MOU, implement enhanced cleaning plans and begin community ambassador coverage; the board and local stakeholders will monitor compliance. The extensions expire March 31, 2025, unless the departments craft a different long-term plan for the properties.