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Human Services Agency previews $730 million budget as Medi-Cal expansion and JobsNow reshape work
Summary
HSA Director Trent Rohr briefed the Budget & Finance Committee on a $730 million agency budget that expects Medi-Cal enrollment growth and state-funded expansion of employment services; supervisors asked for more data on homelessness outcomes and supportive-housing turnover.
The Human Services Agency (HSA) presented a preview of its fiscal-year budget and program priorities on April 3, outlining an approximately $730 million portfolio and describing near-term changes driven by state and federal policy.
Key presentations and figures: HSA Director Trent Rohr said the agency's budget is roughly one-third federal, one-third state and one-third local/general fund and listed core program areas including in-home supportive services (IHSS), foster-care and family services, homeless and housing programs, and subsidized employment. He told the committee that the Affordable Care Act will drive an estimated increase of about 30,000 single adults into Medi-Cal (from a current caseload of roughly 47,000), requiring enrollment and case-management capacity.
JobsNow and employment pathways: Rohr described JobsNow, the city's subsidized employment program, as a successful re-entry strategy: the program has placed thousands of participants since its 2009 start and yields retention in private-sector placements at rates supervisors were told are “over half” (Rohr referenced higher retention statistics in aggregate). The agency said the governor's proposed CalWORKs focus would add state funding to scale subsidized employment and workforce supports.
Homeless services and supportive housing: HSA said its portfolio includes about 3,200 supportive-housing units; staff outlined a proposal to standardize federal homeless-grant timing for budgeting and discussed plans for a possible 100-bed emergency shelter in Bayview Hunters Point. Supervisors asked for better data on tenancy turnover, exit outcomes and the share of people who are on the street but not seeking shelter; HSA said it will use recent street-count survey data and consider pilot projects to test transitional service mixes.
Public comment and staffing concerns: Public speakers and supervisors emphasized protecting senior services and IHSS, addressing long waiting lists and ensuring staff capacity to manage enrollment surges; HSA staff described plans for targeted staffing additions funded by state and federal sources and technology upgrades for a "no wrong door" approach to benefits enrollment.
Committee action: The committee accepted the presentation, asked for more granular data on homelessness outcomes and program performance, and continued the HSA item to the call of the chair for follow-up discussion during the budget process.
