Committee backs $26.2M emergency rental assistance program for vulnerable San Francisco households

The Budget and Finance Committee on April 7 advanced a resolution to accept and expand $26.2 million in U.S. Treasury emergency rental assistance funding for the City and County of San Francisco.

Eric Shaw, director of the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, told the committee the city received $26.2 million in direct Treasury allocation; the state received a separate allocation and reserved about $28.2 million for San Francisco from the state pool. MOHCD said Treasury funds must be spent by Sept. 30, 2022 and that eligible households can receive up to 15 months of assistance for months between March 2020 and September 2022, with priority given to households at or below 50% area median income or with prolonged unemployment.

Shaw said the city’s program will prioritize the most vulnerable and focus on prospective rent (months going forward) while the state's program is intended to cover retroactive rent; payments are made to third parties and to tenants only if landlords refuse to participate. The program will use community-based organizations for intake and multilingual outreach; MOHCD committed to sharing the vulnerability-weighting methodology and application with supervisors.

Public comment included multiple community-based organizations and residents urging approval; speakers described outreach to monolingual and undocumented residents and the importance of keeping families housed during the pandemic. Supervisors asked about data tracking; Shaw agreed to provide demographic reporting on fund recipients and denials and said the city and state are negotiating data-sharing to avoid duplication of benefits.

Chair Haney moved the resolution and the committee voted 3–0 to send it to the full Board with a positive recommendation.