FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Monday, July 23, 2017
Contact: Mayor’s Office of Communications, 415-554-6131
 

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MAYOR LONDON BREED ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL INVESTMENTS FOR PROGRAMS TO HELP CITY RESIDENTS MOST IN NEED OF SUPPORT
$1 million to be directed to support board and care programs

San Francisco, CA– Mayor London Breed today proposed $1 million in new budget investments over the next two years for residential care facilities that assist San Francisco’s most vulnerable residents.

“This investment will keep over 350 people housed and cared for,” said Mayor London Breed. “I am committed to doing everything I can to address San Francisco’s homelessness crisis, and the most effective way to do so is to keep people housed. We have a lot of work to do, but this is an indication of my priorities as Mayor.”

The proposed budget amendment announced by Mayor Breed will increase operating support by $600,000 over the next two years for nine existing high-intensity care providers in San Francisco. An additional $400,000 over the next two years will be allocated for increasing operating support for 28 other basic level care providers.

“I’m proud of the budget and the new budget process, which focused on policy initiatives and transparency. Homelessness and mental health services were the top priorities for the Board in this year’s budget, with over $4.4 million in funding redirected to those issues,” said Board President Malia Cohen. “I’m pleased that Mayor Breed is supporting those priorities with this additional investment for our most vulnerable residents.”

Residential care facilities, commonly known as board and care homes, provide long term housing and support for residents in need of behavioral and medical services. The Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Department of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS) collaborate to find appropriate programs and housing for these residents. These programs allow them to remain in the community and live as independently as possible while receiving the assistance they need.

“Board and care facilities play a critical role in housing vulnerable people who would otherwise be homeless,” said Supervisor Rafael Mandelman. “I appreciate Mayor Breed’s work to identify additional resources to keep our existing board and care providers in operation, and her commitment to doing what it takes to get people off the streets and into care.”

This amendment will target facilities contracted by DPH, which serves individuals with severe behavioral and medical health issues—the majority of whom have histories of homelessness.

Due to funding cuts and lack of resources at the state and federal level, the City has helped to bridge the funding gap, but many of the City’s board and care facilities have been forced to close. In the past five years, the number of DPH contracted facilities has dropped from 70 to 37. This has many repercussions, including individuals staying in a higher level of care than needed, which causes a backlog in the entire system of care.

“Too often San Francisco residents with serious mental and physical health issues end up in crisis situations on our streets and in our emergency rooms,” said Supervisor Vallie Brown. “Board and care facilities are critical to caring for our most vulnerable, and I want to thank Mayor Breed for providing additional resources to ensure these facilities remain open.”

“San Francisco is expensive and for many operators it has been hard to hang on,” said Health Director Barbara Garcia. “While DPH currently invests approximately $2.5 million per year to help make up the difference between the cost of services and current level of funding, this additional investment is critical to bridging the remaining gap in San Francisco.”

The Mayor’s proposed amendments will be presented at the July 24^th meeting of the Board of Supervisors, when the Board is scheduled to have a first reading of the budget.

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