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Mayor Lee highlights navigation center and proposes $250 million housing bond as part of 'housing ladder' strategy
Summary
Mayor Edwin Lee told the Board of Supervisors the city has opened 4,263 homes since a 2014 pledge, said a navigation center is a key step in housing people living on the street, and outlined plans for a roughly $250 million housing bond to rehabilitate public housing and expand affordability without raising taxes if possible.
Mayor Edwin Lee told the Board of Supervisors on April 21 that the city's navigation center model and an upcoming housing bond are central to San Francisco's homelessness and housing strategy.
Lee said he joined outreach teams and the navigation center "is providing hope and opportunities" for people living on the street who want to move into housing or treatment. He described the navigation center’s role in helping clients access master-leased single-room-occupancy units so residents can move from temporary shelter to stable housing. "This is another rung of our housing ladder," the mayor said.
The mayor also summarized the city's housing production since a 2014 pledge: "14 months into our 02/2014 pledge, we have opened the doors to 4,263 new homes with 31% affordable," he said, and called the figures an accountability measure for the city's goals.
Lee described a collaborative process to design a housing bond for the November ballot that will involve neighborhood leaders and housing experts. He said the proposal under discussion is to ask voters to authorize about $250,000,000 for measures including rehabilitation of public housing, expanded affordable units for low-income residents and opportunities for middle-class families to rent and buy in San Francisco. He said the city hopes to pursue the bond without raising taxes.
Supervisors followed with questions to the mayor about enforcement of labor standards tied to new wage laws and the central subway and its possible Phase 3 extension. The mayor urged supervisors to help spread awareness of minimum-wage increases and said enforcement staffing and community-based outreach requests will be weighed in the budget process.
Context: Lee framed the bond and navigation center work as part of a broader "shared prosperity" agenda that includes housing, education and transportation programs he said are being tracked to maintain accountability.
Next steps: Lee said the bond drafting process will draw on neighborhood leaders and housing experts; the board and mayor will work together on funding priorities during the coming budget cycle.
