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OCII workshop: Certificate of Preference outreach reaches 925 contacts; DALIA demo shows online application improvements
Summary
OCII heard an annual report on the Certificate of Preference program showing 925 holders in contact, expanded outreach via DALIA, and 35 households housed in OCII/city projects during FY2017–18; the agency described email blasts, targeted nonprofit outreach and plans for marketing improvements.
The commission heard an Aug. 6 workshop on the Certificate of Preference (COP) marketing and outreach report for fiscal year 2017–18, presented by Maria Benjamin of the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development.
Benjamin said the COP program, created under redevelopment law to compensate households displaced in the 1960s and 1970s, gives eligible individuals preferences on affordable housing lotteries administered through the DALIA portal. She demonstrated DALIA, including multilingual support, paper-application accommodations, and how the system flags eligibility and preferences. The portal is supplemented by an email alert list with more than 45,000 subscribers and by nonprofit partners and rental-housing clinics to assist applicants without access to technology.
Benjamin and Sonia McDaniel, the COP coordinator, summarized program metrics: historical records point to 6,829 displaced households (6,137 in original records plus additions), of which 1,792 are known to be housed in San Francisco, 1,618 are deceased, 925 are currently in contact with the program (many already housed), and about 2,494 remain not located. During FY2017–18, 61 COP applications were submitted, with 35 people ultimately housed (18 in OCII projects and 17 in other city projects). The presentation noted operational barriers — self-selection, over-income applicants, and applicants withdrawing or not responding — and described strategies including early outreach plans, standardized marketing templates, nonprofit partners and direct phone follow-up by program staff.
During public comment and commissioner questions, residents and long-time community members described the COP program’s historic origins and urged expanded outreach, better data on unreachable certificate holders, and additional supports (rental subsidies, outreach through genealogy or data-matching services). Commissioners asked about targeted outreach to older and displaced households and about linking COP outreach to rental subsidy programs; staff said they are exploring targeted partnerships and monitoring lease-up and lottery outcomes.
No formal action was taken; commissioners encouraged continued outreach, improved DALIA features, and follow-up on locating the 2,494 unknown certificate holders.
