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Board amends fire victims assistance fund to extend aid for displaced tenants
Summary
The Board unanimously approved amendments to the city's Fire Victims Assistance Fund to allow rental subsidy assistance beyond the current two-year limit for eligible low-income residents displaced by fires, and removed a three-month eligibility window to accommodate people who learn of services later.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted an ordinance on first reading on June 13 to amend the city's Fire Victims Assistance Fund, allowing qualified tenants displaced by fire to receive payments for up to four years in limited circumstances and removing a three-month deadline for initial Human Services Agency (HSA) assistance.
Supervisor Hillary Ronan, one of the item's sponsors, said the change targets very low-income residents (those at or below 70 percent of area median income) who have applied for below-market-rate housing through the Mayor's Office of Housing as tenants displaced by a fire and who have not secured permanent housing. The amendment also removed a requirement that victims be helped by the Human Services Agency within three months of the fire to be eligible for assistance; supervisors said the removal reflects experience that displaced families sometimes cannot be located immediately and may learn of available aid later.
Ronan described the amendment as a narrowly tailored change: it applies only to tenants earning 70 percent of area median income or less who have applied for a below-market-rate housing preference through the Mayor's Office of Housing as a fire-displaced tenant. She said the HSA retains discretion to determine eligibility in individual cases and that distribution of funds remains contingent on budget availability.
The board accepted a related, small technical amendment to the ordinance without objection; Supervisor Ronan's motion to amend was seconded and the amendment passed. The ordinance passed unanimously on first reading as amended.
Who spoke Supervisor Ronan sponsored the amendment and thanked community groups and staff. Supervisor Safa'i added her support and sought discussion of broader funding strategies; Ben Ames, disaster response manager at the Human Services Agency, told the board a working group was scheduled to meet and that HSA was exploring funding and expansion questions. Several supervisors publicly thanked HSA staff for their work serving displaced residents.
What the ordinance does and limits - Extends potential rental subsidy assistance beyond the current two-year limit for a narrowly defined group of displaced tenants (household income at or below 70% AMI, who applied for below-market-rate housing as a fire-displaced tenant). - Removes a three-month timeframe for initial HSA contact as an eligibility requirement, allowing HSA discretion to determine later applicants' eligibility based on circumstances and funding.
Ending: The ordinance passed unanimously on first reading; supervisors indicated the city will continue discussions about funding strategies and program expansion in committee and through HSA coordination.
