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Tenant advocates urge commission to restore DBI housing clerks and boost outreach funding
Summary
Multiple tenant-organizing groups told the commission that clerks are essential to resolving repair complaints and called for restoring eight housing clerks plus a supervisor and a 5% cost-of-doing-business increase for community outreach partners. Commissioners asked advocates for concrete service-impact data before changing budget lines.
Several tenant-advocate groups told the Building Inspection Commission on Feb. 13 that staffing shortages in the Department of Building Inspection are slowing enforcement and delaying repairs for low-income tenants.
Representatives from Children's Housing Clinic, Dolores Street Community Services, Tenderloin Housing Clinic, Housing Rights Committee and other community organizations urged the commission to restore eight housing clerks and a supervisor. They also asked the commission to consider a 5% cost-of-doing-business increase for code-enforcement outreach partners that perform door-to-door outreach and language-access services.
"We are just here to support, to restore the budget for 8 people total," said Pratibatheke of Children's Housing Clinic. Diana Flores of Dolores Street Community Services said clerks are "the first stop up to complaints" and are critical for follow-up and director's hearings. Several speakers described vulnerable tenants living in unsafe conditions and said community outreach programs make compliance and reporting possible for limited-English households.
Commissioners thanked the speakers and said they valued the work of community partners. But several commissioners, noting mayoral guidance on FTEs, asked advocates to provide precise counts and metrics documenting the service shortfall before the commission amends the budget. "You've got to help us with that... be more precise on exactly why you're asking for these," one commissioner said.
Commissioner comments suggested the commission is sympathetic but needs data to support a formal FTE request and to comply with fiscal procedures. DBI agreed to follow up with more detailed staffing figures and a summary of service impacts tied to vacancies.
The commission did not vote to change the budget at the meeting; it approved the department budget as presented and directed DBI and community partners to return with supporting information if they seek a formal amendment.
