Board directs regular reporting on seniors’ and people with disabilities’ housing needs

The Board of Supervisors passed, on first reading, an ordinance directing the Department of Disability and Aging Services to report on housing needs and housing production for seniors and people with disabilities. The ordinance specifies input from the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development and other city departments and strikes the word “biannually” from the title to require a reporting cadence to be specified in the ordinance language.

Why it matters: Supervisors said the city lacks a comprehensive, data‑driven plan for housing specifically designed for seniors and people with disabilities, many of whom are on fixed incomes that do not align with standard affordable‑housing income thresholds. The ordinance seeks to inform how bond proceeds and other funding should be used to meet these populations’ needs.

Key points from the hearing: The sponsor explained that many seniors and people with disabilities cannot qualify for housing that requires tenants to be at or above 50% of Area Median Income (AMI) and that the city’s 2019 senior housing bond ($150 million) must be monitored to ensure it reaches the intended populations. The ordinance will require coordination across departments including MOHCD, Planning, the Mayor’s Office on Disability, HSH and others to conduct a housing needs assessment and provide rent comparisons that align development rents with residents’ incomes.

Vote and next steps: The ordinance passed first reading unanimously; the sponsor and staff signaled that departments and community organizations will participate in producing the assessment and an initial workplan will be developed for subsequent reports and implementation.

Context: The measure responds to concerns about insufficient senior- and disability‑oriented affordable housing and aims to create a regular, citywide planning tool to guide investments and program design.