Advocates and residents urge longer family subsidies, transparency on Prop C spending and shelter waitlist fixes

During public comment and the consent calendar discussion on April 4, multiple advocates, landlords and residents urged changes to San Francisco's homelessness budget and operations.

Several speakers, including volunteers with the Coalition on Homelessness and service providers, warned that Proposition C funds are being used for shelters rather than long-term supportive housing for families. Monica Steptoe (director of housing for the Homeless Prenatal Program) and other providers argued that two-year rapid rehousing subsidies are often too short for high-acuity families; they and Compass Family Services urged consideration of five-year subsidies funded from unspent Prop C dollars.

Public commenters and Commissioner Kristen Evans described practical barriers in the shelter reservation waitlist: the system's callback window (10 a.m.'noon) can cause people without phones or who are sleeping to miss placements and be moved to the back of the queue. Speakers asked HSH to revise the reservation process to reduce churn and increase sensitivity to those without reliable phones. Several callers also offered firsthand reports of inconsistent Compass callbacks and casework delays.

HSH staff acknowledged administrative growing pains, described steps to improve provider invoice processing and landlord coordination, and pledged to relay concerns to Compass family providers and to return with more detailed metrics.

The commission did not amend funding allocations at the meeting; public speakers requested that commissioners and staff prioritize using unspent Prop C funds to extend family subsidies and improve outreach and waitlist practices.