Supervisors press city agencies and providers to speed referrals and close supportive‑housing vacancies

San Francisco officials and nonprofit providers outlined a set of process changes Sept. 3 aimed at reducing vacancies in the city’s supportive housing stock and speeding placements for people experiencing homelessness.

Supervisor Matt Haney convened the hearing to identify policy actions and departmental steps to reduce vacancies across an estimated 8,000 supportive housing units in the city. Interim Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) Director Abigail Stewart Khan said that as of Aug. 30 the city’s supportive‑housing portfolio showed 1,443 total vacancies across all supportive units (including housing authority and voucher programs), of which 484 are in HSH’s portfolio. HSH characterized 40% of its vacancies as “matched” (a tenant has been identified and referral made), 14% open and available for referrals, and 44% offline while providers prepare units for occupancy.

“Coordinated entry is our path to equity,” Abigail Stewart Khan said, describing coordinated entry as the central triage system for referrals and the source of more consistent, data‑driven matching across providers and subsidy sources. She described the city’s rollout of an interim vacancy tracker, and said HSH signed an 18‑month scope with Bitfocus to expand the 1System to include unit‑level inventory and match functionality; completion is anticipated in early FY2021‑22.

Tanya Lettiju, transitional lead at the San Francisco Housing Authority, described SFHA’s eligibility, HUD requirements and inspection processes and said SFHA aims to complete placement processes within 30 days when possible; she cited allowable HUD waivers and administrative changes used during COVID to speed placements. Amy Chan of the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development said MOHCD oversees 3,450 PSH units and has 1,139 units in the pipeline to come online before 2025.

Providers described operational bottlenecks and proposed solutions. Holly Aversano of Episcopal Community Services (ECS), which manages adult coordinated entry navigation, said ECS is responsible for 137 of the vacancies discussed (116 matched/referrals; 21 without referral) and reported about 775 individuals in the adult coordinated‑entry system currently determined to be in housing‑referral status, of whom roughly 409 are document‑ready. ECS reported rapid referral times once a unit is available — for non‑veteran vacancies, an average of about 2.5 days to produce a referral once the unit is flagged ready.

The Supportive Housing Providers Network (SHPN) and other providers detailed confusion over nomenclature (vacant vs. matched vs. offline), inconsistent real‑time data access and a need for regular, detailed vacancy reporting by building and agency. Providers requested a monthly data report that would include vacancies by building, units ready for referral, average time from ready‑for‑referral to referral and the number of move‑ins resulting from referrals.

Public callers from Community Housing Partnership and Tipping Point urged greater transparency — Community Housing Partnership reported nearly 80 vacant units for about six months — and asked for more hands‑on case management and navigation support to move people from shelters and hotels into housing.

Supervisors pressed agencies on timelines and next steps. HSH said short‑term actions include targeted vacancy‑reduction conferences, a vacancy tracking tool as an interim measure, governance changes for the 1System, and a universal housing application in final internal review to standardize documentation requirements. HSH leadership said the department set a long‑term vacancy target (3% for certain building types) and recognized that a 2–3% practical goal is appropriate for the sector given national benchmarks and local aims. Supervisor Haney moved to continue the hearing to the call of the chair for follow‑up and additional progress reporting; the motion passed unanimously.