(a) Over the course of almost two decades, approximately 11,000 individuals have left a state of homelessness in San Francisco and been reunited with friends or family in other locales at the City’s expense through relocation and reunification services, formerly called the Homeward Bound program. By providing this option, the City has helped connect these individuals with support networks that are best positioned to care for and support such individuals, and at a fraction of the cost of providing a permanent supportive housing unit in San Francisco.
(b) According to the San Francisco Chronicle, each year from 2006 to 2018, the Human Services Agency (“HSA”) and its predecessor department reunited between 800 to 1,000 individuals with their families through Homeward Bound, demonstrating the program was a key part of the City’s strategy to address homelessness.
(c) Under the Homeward Bound program, when individuals applied for County Adult Assistance Programs (“CAAP”) benefits, HSA simultaneously offered paid travel and relocation support, which helped eligible individuals utilize the program as a strategy to end homelessness. Through the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (“HSH”), the City continued to offer paid travel and relocation support for individuals interacting with HSH’s community-based coordinated entry access points, which allow individuals experiencing homelessness the opportunity to access housing opportunities.
(d) Despite the success of Homeward Bound, previous iterations of the program have not been codified in the Municipal Code.
(e) Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the transition in program leadership from HSA to HSH and with Homeward Bound’s dissolution as a stand-alone program, fewer people are using the service to reunite with their friends or family. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, in the first 10 months of Fiscal Year 2021–22, 271 individuals utilized the program, compared with 447 individuals in 2020 and 628 individuals in 2019.
(f) The purpose of this Article XIX is to codify the City’s paid travel and relocation support for homeless individuals, individuals at risk of homelessness, or formerly homeless individuals who are living in supportive housing.
(Added by Ord. 69-24, File No. 231226, App. 4/4/2024, Eff. 5/5/2024)