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Dear Colleagues,
I want to begin by wishing you the best of health and safety, to the extent that the ongoing pandemic allows. We have seen how this latest public health crisis compounds existing inequities, wreaking disproportionate damage upon communities of color, here in San Francisco and across the country. Our commitment to racial equality requires expanding the solution space to incorporate more strategies that transition people from the streets, shelters, villages, or shelter-in-place hotels into permanent homes with services. We are excited that, this month, the City committed to sustain a new strategy—the Flexible Housing Subsidy Pool—for at least 200 people in perpetuity. 85% of people who exit homelessness to a home with services never become homeless again, and transitioning to long-term housing frees up shelter and hotel placements for more people to exit the streets.
We must secure housing for the many Black people who have been disproportionately impacted by homelessness for years, even decades. That means critically evaluating the data, examining who seeks and receives services from our homelessness response system, and correcting our programs as necessary to diminish the disparities that currently define our system: 6% of San Franciscans are Black, whereas Black people account for 37% of unhoused San Franciscans. This is all the more unacceptable when we consider that ~2/3 of unhoused Black San Franciscans are longtime residents who have called SF home for 10 years or more (pg 9: The View from Outside). This is only the beginning. Read on for more about how this program works, and stay tuned for how you can help us scale this solution to help hundreds more people exit homelessness for good.
Onward,
Chris Block
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Spotlight: 200 More San Franciscans Will Never Return to Homelessness Again
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The Flexible Housing Subsidy Pool, or “Flex Pool,” matches people experiencing homelessness to vacant private market apartments across the City, and provides supportive services so that people remain stably housed. This model has proven effective, helping over 8,000 people transition from homelessness to permanent homes with supportive services in Los Angeles since 2014. San Francisco has already started utilizing the Flex Pool on a small scale and will significantly build on these efforts to house at least 200 people by year’s end.
The San Francisco Flex Pool is a partnership between the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH), Brilliant Corners, and philanthropy — including Tipping Point Community, Dignity Health, and Crankstart. HSH will refer eligible individuals into the Flex Pool. Brilliant Corners will identify landlords and property owners who have vacant units available, support prospective tenants through the leasing process, and provide housing retention services to tenants throughout the duration of their lease. Tenants will contribute 30% of their income towards their rent, while receiving rental subsidies and supportive services that help them stay housed. Philanthropic dollars will pay for the first 18 months of Flex Pool operations, and the City will maintain the rental subsidies for these tenants for the long term.
Given the current rental market, it is less expensive to lease apartments in many neighborhoods than it is to pay nightly hotel rates. By moving people out of hotels, the program will free up more space for people who are currently on our streets to access hotel rooms, while expanding the supply of supportive housing throughout San Francisco.
In addition, as the City lifts shelter-in-place restrictions, this program will ensure that hundreds of our unhoused residents, many of whom are Black and at greater risk for contracting COVID-19, secure permanent homes where they can better protect their health. We are committed to ensuring that the Flex Pool plays a role in reducing the racial disparities among San Francisco’s homeless population.
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Roland Limjoco, 47, one of the first people to secure housing via the Flex Pool
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My homelessness started in 1996 when my mom died and I moved up to San Francisco from Daly City. When I moved to SF, I learned a lot on the streets, like what General Assistance was so I could get food stamps, and how to get connected to a shelter. At that time, I was working at Old Navy five days a week, but I couldn’t get to my case appointments during work hours, so my case was closed out and I no longer had a place to stay. Eventually, I found another shelter, but I didn’t love staying there because there were a lot of rules — like a 10pm curfew — so I went to a Navigation Center instead. That’s how I was connected to services and, specifically, Brilliant Corners.
Brilliant Corners helped me find a good home. I have my own kitchen so I can cook anytime I want! This housing will make a huge difference; now I have so much control over my life. I have been in shelter for a long time or in different hotels, but now I can live independently. I feel supported, empowered, and happy—I do my part to help pay the rent, and I’m all set! I now feel the need to push myself, and I can explore the resources I need to do so. For example, I will be able to seek resources to help address my knee pain and improve my physical health.
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“Everybody was saying, ‘Great, let’s get people into hotels to protect them,’ but then what happens?” said Daniel Lurie, Tipping Point chairman. “I’ll tell you what happens—unless we do something after those hotel rooms are no longer available, they go back onto the streets. This is just one example of a solution that works,” he said. “If we don’t have a real sense of urgency around this homelessness crisis, we’re going to have a really tough time rebounding as a city.” (San Francisco Chronicle)
CHI Director Chris Block relates a recent encounter with his neighbor, L, who secured shelter in a hotel room, but whose experience underscores how much work needs to be done to build a truly effective homelessness response system. (CHI Blog)
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Chronic Homelessness Initiative Overview
There are approximately 3,000 people experiencing chronic homelessness on any given night in San Francisco. Tipping Point’s $100 million pledge marks the single largest private investment to address homelessness in City history.
Tipping Point takes a three-pronged approach to our impact goal. See here for more details. If you are receiving this email as a forward, subscribe here to receive this update monthly.
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