Residents will get a voice in shaping the future of long-term housing for formerly homeless people

Tenants of San Francisco’s long-term housing for formerly homeless people are joining efforts to preserve it — at a time when the federal government is trying to cut funding.

The tenants, some of whom live in the Tenderloin, have formed a Resident Advisory Board that convenes once a month, gearing up to lend their perspectives to regional and national policy discussions. They’ll be pushing to maintain, expand, and improve permanent supportive housing, which offers residents rent assistance along with services like food access, medical attention, and help with employment or getting benefits. 

Although the focus of their initial meetings was establishing the processes and mission of the board, members already have several actions scheduled for the year. They intend to meet with state legislators in February as part of a coordinated day of advocacy in collaboration with the Corporation for Supportive Housing, a national nonprofit that advocates for creating more supportive housing. Members also plan to speak on panels at the Housing California conference in Sacramento in March and the Housing First Conference in San Francisco in May. 

Cody Keene is public policy manager for local organization Delivering Innovation in Supportive Housing (DISH), a supportive housing provider, and he helps facilitate board meetings. He said it’s important that tenants become involved in policy discussions because their priorities might differ from those of the organizations serving them.

“There might be blind spots that we have to make sure that we address,” he said. 

The Supportive Housing Provider Network, an association of organizations that operate permanent supportive housing programs, created the advisory board and provided leadership training for residents who would serve on it. 

In early meetings, board members acknowledged that hard times are ahead for many low-income individuals and people who receive public benefits. Social Security recipients may face difficulties renewing their status, for example, due in part to closures of government field offices. Public healthcare and food assistance programs are introducing work requirements and other restrictions.

The Trump administration also has a track record of threatening funding for long-term services with low barriers to entry, including the type of housing these tenants reside in. Late last year, the Department of Housing and Urban Development moved to drastically reduce how much of its funding cities could spend on permanent supportive housing. The new changes put pressure on municipalities to devote more of those dollars to shorter-term and more restrictive programs. In December, facing a legal challenge, HUD rescinded its notice outlining the cuts; a judge also blocked the cuts from taking effect. But the administration is signaling an intent to find new ways to limit spending on permanent housing. San Francisco officials have been exploring ways to use  local dollars to fill potential gaps and keep people housed.

To board chair Stone Selseth, supportive housing is worth fighting for because it can be a vital source of stability.

“Permanent supportive housing has given me an opportunity to catch myself and given me a safety net to get back on my feet and rejoin the workforce,” Selseth said. “I look forward to figuring out how we can best give the residents of the Supportive Housing Provider Network a better life as well as opening up more supportive housing for people who could benefit from [this] system.”

The board members live in buildings around the city managed by seven nonprofit service providers: The Tenderloin Housing Clinic, Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation, Conard House, DISH, Swords to Plowshares, Episcopal Community Services, and HomeRise. Many more organizations operate permanent supportive housing in the city, and the board aims to add members from their buildings in the future.