CHAPTER 48:
RENTAL SUBSIDY PROGRAM FOR LOW-INCOME FAMILIES

 

Sec. 48.1.	Findings.
Sec. 48.2.	Definitions.
Sec. 48.3.	Administration of Program.
Sec. 48.4.	Local Homeless Coordinating Board Oversight.
Sec. 48.5.	Amount of Subsidy; Time Limits.
Sec. 48.6.	Limitation of Liability.
Sec. 48.7.	Severability.

 

SEC. 48.1. FINDINGS.

   The Board of Supervisors finds and declares the following:

   (a)   The City and County of San Francisco is committed to providing permanent and stable housing for homeless families; and

   (b)   According to the San Francisco Homeless Prenatal Program, there are at least 2000 homeless families living in San Francisco; and

   (c)   There are currently approximately 1560 family members living in SRO hotels, including 760 children; and

   (d)   Living in homeless shelters, SRO hotels and overcrowded conditions has severe negative impacts on the health and well-being of children, including serious and chronic health problems, developmental delays, mental health problems, academic failures, behavioral problems, and hunger and poor nutrition; and

   (e)   The Homeless Family Service Redesign Workgroup published a report in July 2006, recommending the development of a rental subsidy program for homeless families with an initial goal of 300 subsidies in the first year. The report outlined the need for two types of subsidies: 1) a 1-2 year subsidy, (2) a need-based subsidy that would provide support and allow families to transition out as their income increased. The Board of Supervisors, through the budget process 2006, allocated funding to ensure that the need-based subsidy could be provided by the City, as the 1-2 year subsidy was already available to homeless families. A need-based subsidy program would strengthen San Francisco's continuum of homeless services; and

   (f)   In 2006, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors appropriated money to the Human Services Agency (Ordinance Number 71-06) to fund a local housing subsidy that provided 300 families with a rental subsidy of $500 per month and assisted homeless families with permanent and stable housing; the Board of Supervisors then approved the subsidy in subsequent years; and

   (g)   Under HSA's regulations, the current subsidies expire one year from the time the family began receiving the subsidy, with the possibility that the subsidy be extended up to two years; and

   (h)   The current economic downturn has dramatically affected working families' ability to steadily increase their income by $6,000 annually; and

   (i)   The Board of Supervisors recognizes that the current subsidy program does not meet the needs of the majority of extremely low-income families and that the City and County of San Francisco should make other efforts to provide services and support to this population.

(Added by Ord. 229-09, File No. 090931, App. 11/10/2009)

SEC. 48.2. DEFINITIONS.

   For purposes of this Ordinance only, the following definitions apply:

   (a)   "Household" means any person or persons who reside or intend to reside in the same housing unit.

   (b)   "Rental Subsidy Program" means all of the City's general fund programs that provide ongoing subsidies to San Francisco families who need financial assistance to make their monthly payments for rental housing; provided, however, that the term "Rental Subsidy Program" shall not include the City's "First Avenues Program," which provides rental housing subsidies through the auspices of the Hamilton Family Center.

(Added by Ord. 229-09, File No. 090931, App. 11/10/2009)

SEC. 48.3. ADMINISTRATION OF PROGRAM.

   The San Francisco Human Services Agency (HSA) shall administer the Rental Subsidy Program for Low-Income Families ("Rental Subsidy Program"), which shall not include the City's "First Avenues Program," a program that provides rental housing subsidies through the auspices of the Hamilton Family Center. The Rental Subsidy Program shall be funded through the general fund, subject to the Annual Appropriations Ordinance. HSA shall adopt rules and regulations to implement the Rental Subsidy Program consistent with this ordinance. HSA shall ensure that contractors administering this program communicate with families eligible for the Rental Subsidy Program in the families' primary languages. In addition. HSA shall administer the program so that families who meet program eligibility requirements are served on a first-come, first-served basis until the total amount of money designated for this program in the Annual Appropriations Ordinance is gone. Families receiving a rental subsidy through the original program as administered by HSA prior to the effective date of this Ordinance shall be deemed to have applied for the Rental Subsidy Program and to have received a subsidy under the Rental Subsidy Program as of the date that they received their first rental subsidy from the City.

(Added by Ord. 229-09, File No. 090931, App. 11/10/2009)