City Government

SF to Rehab Unused Public Housing for Homeless Families

Published

12 years ago

June 5, 2014

District 5 Supervisor London Breed and Mayor Ed Lee this week announced a plan to provide $2.5 million to renovate more than 160 currently unused public housing units, and prioritize homeless families for those units.

Supervisor Breed drafted an appropriation in April to fund these repairs. She worked closely with Mayor Lee to include the project is the Mayor’s 2014-2016 budget, introduced Monday.

< p>The city will provide $2 million bolstered by $450,000 of federal funding.

“I want to thank Mayor Lee for working with me to ensure that public housing is a priority in San Francisco and that homeless families are able to find homes where they can enjoy a measure of safety and comfort,” said Supervisor Breed.

“The repair and rehabilitation of these 160 unused public housing units is critical in our efforts to serve homeless families in San Francisco,” said Mayor Lee.

There are over 40 public housing developments in San Francisco, and after decades of funding shortages for public housing, hundreds of units are currently unfit for San Franciscans to live in.

The Housing Authority estimates these units can be brought back into service for an average cost of $15,000 per unit. And the work can be completed quickly.

This compares very favorably to the hundreds of thousands of dollar and years required to build new affordable housing units.

“We are thrilled to partner with the City to rehabilitate and ready 160 units for homeless families and individuals with the greatest need for housing,” said San Francisco Housing Authority Commission President Joaquín Torres.

The City’s 2013 Homeless Survey found that over 675 people in families, including hundreds of children, are homeless in San Francisco.

Citing the survey, Supervisor Breed said: “We know these families; many of them are on the existing wait-list for the San Francisco Housing Authority. By rehabilitating public housing units, we can ensure they have a place to live in San Francisco.”

“We are in the midst of one of the most severe housing crises we have seen in decades,” said Supervisor Breed. “This funding will leverage unused units to quickly and affordably make a lasting impact for hundreds of families in need.”