The Housing Authority voted unanimously to approve its FY2025 operating budget after a detailed presentation by finance staff and the CEO. The resolution passed by roll call with Commissioners Mary Anne Pikes, Lewana Kim, Leroy Lindo and President Joaquin Torres voting 'Aye.'

Mahmoud Dunye, the Housing Authority's chief financial officer, and Roy Lehi, senior budget analyst, reviewed revenue and program performance. Dunye stated that the Housing Authority recorded $431,000,000 in HAP funding for 2024 and that the FY2025 forecast would bring HAP revenue near half a billion dollars. The budget presentation tied spending priorities to three pillars: fiscal resiliency, becoming a high-functioning agency, and innovative programming to improve tenant outcomes.

The approved operating budget earmarks approximately $1,200,000 for tenant services in FY2025 and proposes using $5,000,000 of SFHA capital funds to improve Plaza East; staff said the City would contribute another $2,000,000 toward those site investments for a total of $7,000,000. Dunye and other presenters also outlined landlord-incentive and tenant-support initiatives to be detailed in October.

Commissioners discussed utilization, noting an occupancy rate of about 93% at the end of the prior fiscal year and a FY2025 internal target to move toward 95% utilization. Staff requested five additional positions to support IT modernization, quality assurance and operations, and told commissioners some position funding remained contingent on city agreements.

"We're going to continue to expand tenant services," the CEO said, tying the tenant-service increase to new HUD guidance that expanded permissible uses of tenant-services funds to pay for utilities, arrears and household items.

The commission instructed staff to return in October with more detailed plans for the landlord incentive program, tenant support services and the proposed positions.