San Francisco’s housing plan for the next 8 years (2022-2030)

SF Housing Element

Eliminate homelessness

Abundant Housing in San Francisco

Objective

Advance equitable housing access

Ensure housing stability and healthy homes

Expand and diversify housing types for all

Advance environmental justice, climate, and community resilience

Eliminate displacement of vulnerable communities and communities of color

Increase accountability to american indian, black, and other communities of color

Promote neighborhoods that are well-connected, healthy, and rich with community culture

Goal

Build intergenerational wealth for american indian, black, and other communities of color

Prevent the outmigration of families with children and support the needs of families to grow

Policy

Recognize the right to housing as a foundation for health, and social and economic well-being

Facilitate the legalization of unauthorized dwelling units while improving their safety and habitability

Support cultural uses, activities, and architecture that sustain San Francisco's diverse cultural heritage

Foster racially and socially inclusive neighborhoods through equitable distribution of investment and growth

Establish accountability tools to advance racial and social equity in housing access with measurable progress

Repair the harms of racial and ethnic discrimination against American Indian, Black, and other people of color

Offer reparations for communities directly harmed by discriminatory action and bring back their displaced people

Make amends and inform reparative actions by telling the truth about discriminatory actions and the resulting harm

Substantially expand the amount of permanently affordable housing for extremely low- to moderate-income households

Elevate expression of cultural identities through the design of active and engaging neighborhood buildings and spaces

Connect people to jobs and their neighborhood with numerous, equitable, and healthy transportation and mobility options

Expand small and mid-rise multi-family housing production to serve our workforce, prioritizing middle-income households

Create a sense of belonging for all communities of color within well-resourced neighborhoods through expanded housing choice

Expand investments in Priority Equity Geographies to advance equitable access to resources while ensuring community stability

Maximize the use of existing housing stock for residential use by discouraging vacancy, short-term use, and speculative resale

Minimize no-fault and at-fault evictions for all tenants, and expand direct rental assistance as a renter stabilization strategy

Promote and facilitate aging in place for seniors and multi-generational living that supports extended families and communal households

Provide sufficient housing for existing residents and future generations for a city with diverse cultures, family structures, and abilities

Improve access to the available Affordable Rental and Homeownership units especially for disproportionately underserved racial and social groups

Support the reduction of non-governmental challenges that enable affordable housing and small and mid-rise multi-family buildings as a prominent housing type

Affirm compliance in State housing law, requirements, and intent by strengthening data collection, clarifying definitions, and further supporting implementation

Prevent homelessness and eviction through comprehensive evidence-based systems, including housing and other services targeted to serve those at risk of becoming unhoused

Acquire and rehabilitate privately-owned housing as permanently affordable to better serve residents and areas vulnerable to displacement with unmet affordable housing needs

Enforce and improve planning processes and building regulations to ensure a healthy environment for new housing developments, especially in Environmental Justice Communities.

Expand permanently supportive housing and services for individuals and families experiencing homelessness as a primary part of a comprehensive strategy to eliminate homelessness

Shape urban design policy, standards, and guidelines to enable cultural and identity expression, advance architectural creativity and durability, and foster neighborhood belonging

Reduce governmental constraints on development in Well-resourced Neighborhoods to enable small and mid-rise multi-family buildings providing improved housing choice and affordability

Preserve affordability of existing subsidized housing, government-owned or cooperative- owned housing, or SRO hotel rooms where the affordability requirements are at risk or soon to expire

Retain and increase the number of moderate- and middle-income households by increasing their homebuying opportunities and reversing the shortage in housing that is affordable to these households

Encourage co-housing to support ways for households to share space, resources, and responsibilities, especially to reinforce supportive relationships within and across communities and generations

Support the repair and rehabilitation of housing to ensure life safety, health, and well- being of residents, especially in Environmental Justice Communities, and to support sustainable building practices

Enable mixed-income development projects to maximize the number of permanently affordable housing units constructed, in balance with delivering other permanent community benefits that advance racial and social equity

Prevent the potential displacement and adverse racial and social equity impacts of zoning changes, planning processes, or public and private investments especially for populations and areas vulnerable to displacement

Facilitate neighborhoods where proximity to daily needs and high-quality community services and amenities promotes social connections, supports caregivers, reduces the need for private auto travel, and advances healthy activities

Improve access to well-paid jobs and business ownership for American Indian, Black and other communities of color, particularly those who live in Priority Equity Geographies, to build the wealth needed to afford and meet their housing needs

Increase mid-rise and small multi-family housing types by adopting zoning changes or density bonus programs in Well-resourced Neighborhoods and adjacent lower-density areas near transit, including along SFMTA Rapid Network and other transit

Require new commercial developments and large employers, hospitals, and educational institutions to help meet housing demand generated by anticipated job growth to maintain an appropriate jobs-housing fit, and address housing needs of students

Expand permanently affordable housing investments in Priority Equity Geographies to better serve American Indian, Black, and other People of color within income ranges underserved, including extremely-, very low-, and moderate-income households

Pursue permanently affordable housing investments that are specific to the geographic, cultural, and support needs of recently arrived or newly independent residents or residents from marginalized groups, including transgender and LGBTQ+ people

Enable low and moderate-income households, particularly American Indian, Black, and other people of color, to live and prosper in Well-resourced Neighborhoods by increasing the number of permanently affordable housing units in those neighborhoods

Facilitate small and mid-rise multi-family buildings that private development can deliver to serve middle-income households without deed restriction, including through adding units in lower density areas or by adding Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)

Streamline and simplify permit processes to provide more equitable access to the application process, improve certainty of outcomes, and ensure meeting State- and local-required timelines, especially for 100% affordable housing and shelter projects

Tailor zoning changes within Priority Equity Geographies and intersecting Cultural Districts to serve the specific needs of American Indian, Black, and other communities of color while implementing programs to stabilize communities and meet community needs

Improve coordination, alignment, shared mission, and functionality of post-entitlement permit processes across agencies and jurisdictions to speed housing construction starts after approvals, especially for 100% affordable housing and development agreements

Acknowledge the truth about discriminatory practices and government actions as told by American Indian, Black, and other communities of color to understand the root causes of the housing disparities in these communities and to inform how to redress the harms

Ensure transportation investments create equitable access to transit and are planned in parallel with increase in housing capacity to advance well-connected neighborhoods consistent with the Cityʼs Connect SF vision, and encourage sustainable trips in new housing

Advance equal housing access by eliminating discrimination based on race, ethnicity, immigration status, HIV+ status, gender identity, sexual orientation, disabilities, age, prior incarceration, or mental health and improving housing programs for underserved groups

Create dedicated and consistent local funding sources and advocate for regional, State, and Federal funding to support building permanently affordable housing for very low-, low-, and moderate-income households that meets the Regional Housing Needs Allocation targets

Amplify and prioritize voices of American Indian, Black, and other people of color, and other disadvantaged communities, and embrace the guidance of their leaders throughout the engagement and planning processes for housing policy, planning, programs, and developments

Establish and sustain homeownership programs and expand affordable housing access for American Indian, Black, Japanese, Filipino, and other communities to redress harm directly caused by past discriminatory government actions including redlining, urban renewal, the Indian Relocation Act, or WWII Japanese incarceration

Complete community-led processes in Priority Equity Geographies that provide defined community benefits or mitigations for effects of new development consistent with state and federal law in order to reduce burdens on advocates of vulnerable populations and community members and establish more predictable outcomes for housing applications

Invest in and expand access to cultural anchors, land, and spaces that are significant to American Indian, Black, Japanese, Filipino, and other communities directly harmed by past discriminatory government actions including redlining, urban renewal, the Indian Relocation Act or WWII Japanese incarceration to redress histories of dispossession, social disruption, and physical displacement

Type

SF Housing Element

Referenced by

Eliminate homelessness

Advance equitable housing access

Ensure housing stability and healthy homes