An Overview of the SFHA

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In 1937, the United States Congress passed the United States Housing Act to provide decent homes for low-income families. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors established the San Francisco Housing Authority (SFHA) in 1938. The SFHA is the oldest housing authority in California. Housing Authorities are unique entities established by a combination of federal, state and local actions. While the Mayor appoints the seven members of the SFHA's Board of Commissioners, the SFHA is an independent agency and a state chartered corporation. Two Commissioners are SFHA residents who represent the families, seniors, and disabled persons who are SFHA residents. The Board of Commissioners appoints an Executive Director to lead the SFHA workforce of more than 400 employees in various executive, administrative, and craft occupations. The total budget for the SFHA is over $200 million. Departments within the SFHA include Public Housing Operations, Section 8, Management Services and Support, Housing Development and Modernization, Finance, Office of the General Counsel, and the Office of Fair Housing.

There are approximately 3,200 local housing authorities across the nation, and the San Francisco Housing Authority is the 17th largest. The primary mission of the SFHA is to provide safe, sanitary, affordable, and decent housing to very low-income families, senior citizens and persons with disabilities.

In 1940, the SFHA opened Holly Courts, the City's first low-income housing development, for 118 families. This community was the first public housing development west of the Mississippi River. Potrero Terrace (469 units), Sunnydale (767 units), Valencia Gardens (246 units) and Westside Courts (136 units) followed closely and were all completed by 1943. This building boom was part of the war effort to support the 35,000 service members, war workers, and their families who came to San Francisco to assist in winning World War II. The SFHA has grown to include 45 developments located in many and different San Francisco neighborhoods, with over 6,575 units of public housing serving the very low-income families, seniors and disabled residents of San Francisco. Since the 1974 inception of the Section 8 program, the number of low-income families whose rents are subsidized for privately owned housing has risen to approximately 7,000 with an additional 3,000 served through other federally funded programs.

Much of the funding for Housing Authority programs is derived from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the rents paid by residents. Residents pay approximately 30% of their income for rent. For fiscal year 2002, the SFHA budget was $47 million for public housing operations, which must cover maintenance and management costs for all 6,575 housing units.

Applicants for public housing and for Section 8 housing are selected from waiting lists. The public housing waiting list is open continuously and contains approximately 17,000 heads of households. The Section 8 waiting list was open in September 2001 and is now closed with approximately 35,000 heads of households on this list. In fiscal year 2002, the Section 8 budget was approximately $95 million, which includes payments to landlords and administrative expenses for the program.

The SFHA has been highly successful in HUD's HOPE VI (Housing Opportunities for People Everywhere) program. The HOPE VI program is a comprehensive approach to revitalizing old and severely distressed public housing and replacing it with new, attractively designed townhouses and flats that are compatible with their neighborhoods. The revitalized developments include community spaces, childcare facilities, space for after school programs, and computer learning centers. To date, the SFHA has collaborated with private developers and State and City agencies to complete HOPE VI revitalization at Hayes Valley, Bernal Dwellings and Plaza East. At this time (July 2002) the North Beach development is being demolished with reconstruction expected to begin later in 2002. The new Valencia Gardens development is also a HOPE VI site with planning and environmental approvals underway. To date, the SFHA has received a total of $118.5 million in grant funding from HUD for the five HOPE VI sites. This grant money has been leveraged with an additional $166.8 million in private funding.

Many of the SFHA's communities were built during the period of 1940 to 1970. The SFHA uses capital funds from HUD, which amounted to $16.7 million in 2002, to make capital improvements such as replacing boilers and roofs, to modernize and rehabilitate this housing as well as to ensure this housing is accessible for persons with disabilities.

The SFHA provides job opportunities and job training to its residents through requirements in its construction and service contracts. Contractors must make every effort to employ residents. In this regard, SFHA contractors hired over 200 residents to modernize and rehabilitate our family and senior housing as well as to rebuild the HOPE VI sites at Hayes Valley, Bernal Dwellings and Plaza East. We successfully assisted 55 residents to enter union-sponsored apprentice programs as carpenters, plumbers and painters. In addition, 123 residents (25% of the workforce) are employed on the SFHA staff.