Legislation Aims to Reform Subsidy Program, Ease Time Limit Burden for Families
Draft legislation reforming the City’s housing subsidy program for families, a program which had placed strain on the ability for homeless families to find housing, was released by Supervisor Chris Daly’s office on April 18 for review by SRO Families United, a collaborative effort of community housing advocacy organizations. If passed, this legislation will call for an increase in the subsidy from $500 to $1,000 per month per family, and an end to the arbitrary two-year time limit placed on these subsidies, in favor of need-based time limits that vary from family to family.
Upon inspection, the organization will send the draft back to Daly’s office. If passed, this bill will be a long-time victory for SRO Families United, which has fought for an improvement and expansion of the subsidy program.
SRO Families United is a collaborative organization made up of five San Francisco non-profits: the Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC), the Chinese Progressive Association, the Coalition on Homelessness, SOMCAN, and the St. Peter’s Housing Committee, representing Chinatown, the Tenderloin, SoMa, and the Mission. These organizations are collectively leading the Housing First for Families campaign, a campaign to make housing more available for homeless families.
In September of last year, SRO Families United released a report about families living in single-room occupancy (SRO) hotels and their experiences with the City’s Rental Subsidy Program. In this program, families apply for a housing subsidy of $500 a month that expires after two years. During this period, families are expected to raise their annual income by $6,000. If a family is unable to demonstrate the ability to do this during the application process, they are denied the subsidy.
A survey conducted by SRO Families United interviewed 77 homeless families from all four districts. The survey revealed the flaws in the Rental Subsidy Program, and helped SRO Families United formulate their official position on the program and recommend alterations to it. Based on the results, the committee recommended two major changes:
- increase the subsidy from $500/month to $1,000/month;
- remove the two-year time limit on the subsidy.
To solve this problem in the short term, the CCDC along with other organizations passed a resolution with the Human Services Agency. Chris Daly’s office had drafted legislation calling for reform that urges the HSA not to enforce the two-year time limit on housing, reported Jade Wu, caseworker for CCDC.
If passed, the legislation that came out on Friday will be the culmination of almost a year’s worth of campaigning and hard work, will relieve families of the stress of a time limit, and will allow families to find more comfortable housing.
SRO Families United organized a rally on April 6 and protested the City’s unwillingness to adjust the terms of the subsidy program. The rally was well attended by affected activists and families.
Caseworker Jade Wu from the Chinatown Community Development Center described the need for reform in the program:
“Some families have problems looking for affordable housing with the subsidy because the rent is too high. Some families are not even applying for the subsidy because their income is too low to afford housing even with the subsidy. Most of the time, the subsidy goes to families that need it least—those that are planning to move out of small housing anyways,” she said.
Wu described how the subsidy program has helped families she works with in Chinatown. She said she had worked with one family that was evicted from their SRO hotel room, and had helped them with their housing subsidy application. They received the subsidy and now live in a three-bedroom apartment that fits their needs. Her husband now makes $2,000 a month, and they may be able to get by without the rental subsidy if he stays employed and the rent stays low.
Several Chinatown families have not had ideal experiences with the subsidy. Wu told of an eight-year-old child that, when asked what he wanted for Christmas, responded: a room for himself. It is especially stressful for teenagers when families are crammed into small places. Wu spoke about families where teenagers would be too afraid to invite their friends over because of the embarrassment of sharing a room with their parents. The subsidy program is necessary because a spacious and secure living space is important for children growing up.
Another problem with the current rental subsidy program lies in the administration of the program. Alma Jiménez is the mother of a family of four living in the Tenderloin. Her experience with the housing subsidy reveals the program’s sometimes poor administration. When she was first notified that she was applicable for the subsidy, her family was only given three months to find housing. At the time, she was pregnant with her second child.
She gave birth early, and there was no way for her to find housing in the given time period. When the three months ended, her subsidy applicability expired, and she was forced to wait another three months before reapplying.
It is these pointless rules and regulations insensitive to individual scenarios that need to be reformed to make the subsidy effective at ending homelessness.
Jiménez lives in a one-room studio apartment with her husband and two kids. It only fits a bed and small space. Her kids can never take their toys out to play because if they do, there’s no room to walk.
Juana Bravo, a mother of a family of four, said that right now her family is living in an apartment with one bedroom, a bathroom, kitchen, and living room. Before the subsidy, they had squeezed into a studio apartment.
Although the subsidy has improved her quality of life dramatically, Bravo and her husband are worried about raising their income enough to continue being eligible for the subsidy. The terms of their agreement state that if the family income hasn’t increased after one year of receiving the subsidy, then they are no longer eligible, and only receive it for three months longer. And then there is the worry of what to do when the subsidy expires completely.
Devin
