Will supes oust one of the most effective members of the Homeless Oversight Commission?

There’s a move afoot at the Board of Supes to oust one of the most effective members of the Homeless Oversight Commission, and it’s part of the debate over the use of housing money and a “housing first” policy.

The Rules Committee Monday delayed filling Seat Six on the panel after Thomas Rocca, a real estate investor, was not present to present the case for his appointment.

Rocca would replace Christin Evans, who colleagues, including former Sup. Bevan Dufty, supported, saying she plays a critical role in building trust between unhoused people, service providers, and city agencies.

Rocca applied for the seat, which is designated for a homeless service provider or advocate, saying that he is the owner and operator of Yerba Buena Commons, a 257-unit SRO project in Soma that’s affordable to very-low-income people. He’s the CEO of two real-estate development companies. He clearly meets the qualifications for the seat.

Evans only found out three days before the hearing that she was facing a challenge for her seat.

The back story is more intriguing. Evans was one of the three legal sponsors of Prop. C, which is now part of battle between affordable housing advocates and the Mayor’s Office.

Mayor Daniel Lurie wants to divert some of the money that’s earmarked for permanent affordable housing into temporary shelter, to get the unhoused off the streets and out of sight.

Evans strongly opposes that.

At a rally today in front of City Hall, advocates including Sup. Jackie Fielder said the board has received more than 4,500 letters opposing the mayor’s move. Prop. C got 61 percent of the vote; it raised taxes on the city’s largest corporations and the revenue is earmarked for very specific purposes; half of it must go to build permanently affordable housing.

Since the measure passed, more than 5,000 people, including 1,700 children, have found life-changing housing.

The law says that the allocation formula can only be changed with a supermajority vote on the board. Lurie wants the supes to waive that for two years.

Fielder:

By subverting the will and intent of the voters, we are setting a precedent that will be hard to walk back in the future. If the mayor has a thoughtful plan for spending voter-mandated funding for homeless services, he should be able to present his plan to the Board of Supervisors and gain the support of a supermajority. This is an unnecessary and legally questionable power grab that represents an attack on local democracy and voter initiatives.

At the Rules Committee, Evans made her position very clear:

Under this new administration, the Mayor has pushed a focus on adult shelter only policy.  Mayor Lurie’s budget proposal released in May was to sweep all unencumbered and interest funds in the OCOH fund for adult shelter. Only through considerable advocacy did we achieve a more balanced approach allocating a portion to housing and homeless prevention for adults, families and youth. 

Unchecked, we can anticipate a continuation of a shelter-only focus from this administration — a strategy while positive in its approach of addressing much needed resources for substance and mental health treatment at shelter sites — lacks a vision for addressing the root cause of homelessness: inadequate affordable housing. Shelter-only perpetuates our homelessness crisis – other city’s, like Houston, tried housing-first policies and have seen drastic reductions in homelessness with the same low recidivism rate. When people cry “but how can we afford that!” I want to remind you that that is the very reason we passed Prop C – it funds this very effective solution with permanent housing. In fact, today over 5,000 people including 1,700 children have a safe and decent place to call home thanks to Proposition C. Detractors say housing first is all about compassion– but it’s actually all about a lasting solution. The data is all there.

A Shelter only strategy fails not only because it is more expensive to provide 24 x 7 staffed beds, but also because a significant percentage of people experiencing homelessness are not appropriate placements  into a chaotic congregate shelter setting with an expectation that they would have to remain for months and years before being matched to housing. Unless the shelter stay is truly temporary and short term, many folks rationally seek alternatives such as living in vehicles and in tents outdoors where they have more dignity and feel safer.  In the past five years, we have made major expansions to shelter beds in San Francisco, but the strategy has failed.  Only 13% are moving into permanent housing, and thousands are stuck in shelter, filling beds and leaving others who need those beds on the streets.  We know that a majority of people experiencing homelessness are likely to accept housing, non-congregate shelter and hotel rooms rather than a bunkbed or cot in a crowded congregate shelter.  If you focus on expanding congregate shelter you are more likely to create street conditions where there is public pressure to arrest people warehousing them in even more expensive jail beds.

Dufty praised Evans, saying that while he has met Rocca and found him a reasonable person, Evans has been critical to the mission of the commission. “If we are going to solve homelessness, we are going to do it with everyone working together,” Dufty told me. “Christin has done a fantastic job.”

Whit Guerrero, who also serves on the commission, told me that the role she plays would be hard to replace: “She has built up trust with the providers and the city, and that can take years,” Guerrero said.

Evans is an advocate for “housing first,” a policy that seeks to get people into stable housing without judgment—including people with substance use issues. Harm-reduction experts say it’s almost impossible to overcome addictions living on the streets.

Some supervisors have been pushing to change that approach and to mandate “abstinence only” housing.

When the board first appointed Evans, Dorsey, Sup. Rafael Mandelmen, and Sup. Joel Engardio voted against her.

I reached out to Rocca for comment, but he hasn’t responded. Sup. Shamann Walton, who chairs Rules, continued the appointment to the call of the chair, meaning another hearing, featuring both applicants, will happen in the near future. To stay on the board, Evans would need six votes.