Breed holding up money for crucial social services, providers say

Mayor London Breed is holding up almost $60 million in funds for essential social services, money that the supervisors allocated in a budget she approved, activists are reporting.

Among other things, the mayor is declining to fully fund the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, which is a key tool in preventing homelessness.

With Sup. Connie Chan leading the Budget and Appropriations Committee this summer, the supes found about $58 million worth of waste in the mayor’s budget, and used that to “add back” cuts in a wide range of critical programs serving the city’s most vulnerable.

The mayor agreed to the deal, and signed the final document.

But now, the activists say, the money isn’t coming in. “She told us she’s waiting until November when she will get an update from the controller,” Anya Worley-Ziegmann, who works with SF Rising, told me.

The Mayor’s Press Office has not responded to my request for comment.

Of course, in November Breed will know if she has been re-elected. She has a history of not spending money that the progressive supes have allocated.

From a People’s Budget Coalition press release:

Daniel Casanova, Executive Director of the Eviction Defense Collaborative (EDC) explains the dire impact the lack of rental assistance will have on tenants: “Evictions have returned to pre-pandemic levels with approximately 250 new evictions filed each month. There are over 3000 open eviction cases in SF right now–and the majority require rental assistance to repay the back rent owed. The City’s homelessness prevention strategy relies on the success of the Tenant Right to Counsel program (TRC) – which EDC implements. This program ensures tenants in SF are paired with an attorney when facing eviction. But without rental assistance, no matter their efforts, this is putting thousands of families at immediate risk of losing their homes and will create a homelessness crisis like we have never seen before. This is an unacceptable dilemma. The city has invested millions in the Tenant Right to Counsel Program and it’s been a tremendous success – in fact 92% of tenants represented by TRC avoid eviction. But without rental assistance funding, the program’s effectiveness will be sabotaged. Every day that passes without action is another day that families face the threat of eviction and homelessness. We’re calling on Mayor Breed to allocate critical funding to make the SF ERAP program whole and viable once again.”

That’s just one program in limbo. Others include Glide Memorial Church, Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation, SOMCAN, Huckleberry House, Chinese Progressive Association, Galleria de la Raza, Coleman Advocates, and HIV AIDS Providers.

All are nonprofits that depend on city funding for some of their services. All do work that was funded by the supes in the add-back process. Now they may have to lay off staff and stop doing some critical work.

“This isn’t just about numbers on a budget sheet—this is about real people losing their homes and their jobs,” said Maria Zamudio, Director of the Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco. “Mayor Breed has the power and the funds to stop this crisis. By refusing to act, she’s putting our entire community at risk.”

More:

“Community organizations are the backbone of San Francisco’s support system, providing crucial services that keep people housed, safe, and with their basic needs met while supporting children and families,” said Lucia Obregon, Director of the San Francisco Latino Parity and Equity Coalition. “Without immediate action from the city, we will see a breakdown of support services that will harm the entire city. Organizations have already started delivering services without any knowledge of the future funding for these programs, placing a tremendous burden on staff and nonprofit workers who are now at risk of being laid off. We need a strong workforce in this city across all sectors—this impacts all of us.”