Commission approves Gerald Commons shelter contract, HMIS contracts and Mission Inn and property-management actions

The Homelessness Oversight Commission on Feb. 14 approved several contracting actions that the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing brought forward, including a new shelter contract for the Gerald Commons, two multi-year agreements with Bitfocus for the 1System and HOPE databases, and consent-calendar items related to the Mission Inn acquisition and to property management at 250 Kearny.

Votes at a glance - Gerald Commons shelter contract (We Hope): Motion to approve a new contract for shelter services at Gerald Commons (initial contract term 03/03/2024—03/31/2027). Budget: $8,535,582 in new funding plus a 15% contingency ($1,280,338) for a total not-to-exceed $9,815,920. Funding mix: state behavioral-health bridge housing funds (54%), state encampment resolution funds (30%), and local Our City Our Home (Prop C) funds (16%). Outcome: approved by roll call (Chair Butler, Vice Chair Evans, Commissioners Albright, Aslanian Williams and Dufty voted aye).

- Bitfocus software-as-a-service contract (HMIS and HOPE system): Motion to approve a sole-source licensing contract with Bitfocus for Clarity Human Services (the citys HMIS platform) for April 2025 through June 2030 in an amount not to exceed $4,020,940. Outcome: approved by roll call (unanimous).

- Bitfocus system-administration contract: Motion to approve a sole-source Bitfocus contract for system administration services for the 1System and HOPE system in an amount not to exceed $9,712,068 for April 2025 through June 2030. Outcome: approved by roll call (unanimous).

- Consent items (approved together): 13A: Amendment for Mission Inn acquisition/rehab work (additional funding cited in meeting: $772,207 to a revised contract approaching $10 million total) and 13B: new professional services contract with Swords to Plowshares for property management at 250 Kearny (approved). Outcome: approved by roll call (Chair Butler, Vice Chair Evans, Commissioners Albright, Aslanian Williams and Dufty voted aye).

What the contracts do - Gerald Commons: We Hope will operate a hybrid shelter in Bayview/Hunters Point with 60 cabins (capacity for 68 guests) and 20 RV spaces (capacity for 30 guests), serving up to 98 guests total. HSH budgeted a 46.5 FTE staffing level, 24/7 on-site CBO staffing, two meals per day, community space, laundry, showers, and an on-site Shelter Health clinic partnership.

- Bitfocus and HMIS: Bitfocus provides the Clarity Human Services platform used by HSH as the HUD-compliant Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) and the HOPE system (a HUD-compliant comparable database used by victim-service providers). The software-as-a-service contract and a separate system-administration agreement will continue licensing and support; HSH said most of the funding comes from HUD Continuum of Care grants and a small share from the Department of Veterans Affairs and a Google grant for specific enhancements (shelter integration features).

- Mission Inn and 250 Kearny actions: HSH staff said the Mission Inn (a 52-room acquisition) currently has 36 occupied residential units while eight units are temporarily offline for rehabilitation or conversion to ADA and other work; staff reported construction completion is expected in March and additional units will be returned to occupancy thereafter. At 250 Kearny, Swords to Plowshares will provide property management; Swords described a staffing challenge outside HSH control: there are VA-funded units with vacancies tied to delays in VA social-worker staffing required to process HUD-VASH referrals.

Commissioner and public questions: Commissioners requested occupancy and timeline details for Mission Inn rehab units; Elizabeth Houston, HSHs supportive housing manager, provided a unit-by-unit description and said rehab work was expected to finish in March. Swords to Plowshares staff explained that 18 VA-funded vacancies in their building remain because VA casework capacity has not matched housing availability.

Record of formal actions (summary) - All motions recorded in the meeting were approved by roll call or voice vote without opposition on items listed above.

Ending: HSH and the contracted providers will proceed with onboarding, site preparation and system integration. Commissioners requested follow-up reporting on occupancy after Mission Inn rehab and on Bitfocuss shelter integration project to ensure shelter programs are fully supported in HMIS/HOPE.