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Committee approves Haluna Health contract amendment to expand HOT staffing, asks for Feb. 2020 report
Summary
The committee advanced a fifth amendment to the Haluna Health contract to add 15 positions and extend the Homeless Outreach Team contract through June 2021, while requiring the department to report back on outcomes and RFP progress during the Feb. 2020 budget cycle.
The Budget & Finance Committee on Sept. 18 voted to forward a proposed fifth amendment to Haluna Health’s contract for the San Francisco Homeless Outreach Team (HOT) to the full Board, approving an extension and increase in budget while adding committee oversight requirements.
Jeff Kositsky, director at the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, described HOT as a multi‑component outreach and case management program operating under contract with Haluna Health since an RFP issued in 2014. The department asked to increase the contract by roughly $15.3 million to an amount not to exceed about $39.1 million and to extend the term through June 30, 2021. The amendment would add 15 positions (bringing HOT to approximately 86 FTEs in FY19‑20), increase compensation (Kositsky cited an average ~12% increase for certain roles) and add more specific service objectives and measurable outcomes.
Kositsky outlined proposed performance measures in the amendment: a target that 90% of clients encountered receive a problem‑solving engagement, that 80% of clients enrolled in case management be identified as high‑priority in the coordinated entry system, and that 40% of those served engage in case management or enroll in mainstream benefits. He also presented June activity data showing about 1,194 outreach encounters in that month; of those, about 741 (62%) accepted offers of assistance, and the department tracked approximately 580 people who actually received some type of service from referrals produced by HOT.
Budget Analyst Sevin Campbell confirmed prior contract expenditures (~$5M in FY18‑19) and projected forward budget needs (~$8.5M per year in 19/20 and 20/21). The BLA recommended approval of the amendment.
Several supervisors, including Supervisor Mandelmann and Supervisor Stephanie, pressed for clearer contract metrics, district deployment schedules and local accountability — asking how the HOT teams are assigned by police district, what constitutes a 'successful' encounter, and whether the reported connections translate into people exiting homelessness. The committee accepted an amendment, moved by Chair Sandra Lee Feuer, requiring the department to return with a report on HOT efficacy and the progress of an RFP process as part of the Feb. 2020 budget cycle.
The committee forwarded the contract amendment to the full Board with a positive recommendation and the report‑back requirement.
