Budget committee forwards grant increase for Self Help for the Elderly to expand home-delivered meals

The San Francisco Budget and Finance Committee on March 13 voted to forward to the full Board a resolution that would increase the city’s grant to Self Help for the Elderly for home-delivered meal services.

Tiffany Kearney, lead nutritionist at the Department of Aging and Adult Services, told supervisors the amendment “increases the grant by approximately $1,200,000 and will support about 82,500 more meals between this fiscal year and next.” Kearney said Self Help provides culturally relevant services dating to 1966 and that 90% of its home-delivered meal clients identify as Chinese and about 70% report incomes at or below the federal poverty line.

Nick Menard of the Budget and Legislative Analyst’s office reviewed the BLA analysis and recommended approval. The BLA report stated the amendment adds $1,900,000 to the grant agreement and found no material compliance or performance issues in the agency’s monitoring reports.

The clerk’s item description included an approximate increase and ceiling figures (roughly $2 million and a not-to-exceed total cited in the agenda), producing differing incremental figures in the record; committee members framed the discrepancy as an administrative detail to be clarified before final Board action. The grant period was not changed and remains through June 30, 2025.

Chair Chan said the amendment is one piece of broader work needed to address food security and rising demand among San Francisco’s growing senior population; she said the city should convene HSA, DAS and the mayor’s office for a “big picture conversation” about sustainable funding as federal and state supports shift.

There were no public speakers on the item. The committee voted unanimously in favor of forwarding the resolution with a positive recommendation; the full Board consideration is scheduled for March 19, 2024, unless otherwise noted.