San Francisco, CA — Mayor London N. Breed today named Tonia Lediju to manage and guide the planned restructuring of the San Francisco Housing Authority (Housing Authority). As the City begins assuming the Housing Authority’s essential functions, Mayor Breed and City leaders are committed to ensuring that San Francisco’s 14,000 residents who rely on Housing Authority subsidies are well served and keep their housing.

“As the City takes on this important task of restructuring the Housing Authority, our focus is to ensure housing stability for the thousands of households who depend on subsidies and to complete our long-planned revitalization and transformation of Sunnydale and Potrero Hill as part of our HOPE SF initiative,” said Mayor London Breed. “This restructuring is an opportunity to increase accountability, and ensure that we are providing quality public housing for our residents.”

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued a letter to the Housing Authority detailing how the Housing Authority was in default of various agreements and obligations. HUD’s letter requires the Housing Authority to correct the default and directs the City to assume responsibility for the Housing Authority’s essential functions under a Memorandum of Understanding, which must include plans for the Housing Authority to contract with third-party experts to administer the Housing Choice Voucher and the Low Rent Public Housing Programs.

Lediju will lead a Transition Team, which includes representatives from the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, the Controller’s Office, the Department of Human Resources, the City Attorney’s Office, the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, and HOPE SF.

As Transition Team Leader, Lediju will develop and implement a Transition Plan that includes timelines, performance metrics, risks and opportunities analyses, staffing needs, and budget requirements for the restructuring. Over the next year, the Transition Team will help the Housing Authority transition from being a direct provider of housing vouchers and public housing programs to a contract management, compliance, and reporting agency that manages the work of third-party contractors and ensures compliance with HUD requirements. The restructured Housing Authority will report on activities to HUD, the City, and community stakeholders. The Transition Team will also focus on identifying short- and long-term staffing needs and creating successful pathways to other employment opportunities for impacted Housing Authority staff.

Lediju currently serves as the City’s Chief Audit Executive and brings over 20 years of experience transforming complex organizations and systems. Additionally, Lediju conducted a comprehensive assessment of the Housing Authority’s financial structure, management controls, systems, and staffing approaches in 2017. She has a doctorate in Organizational Systems and a Master of Arts in Leadership. Prior to working for the City, she was a Division Chief at the California Employment Development Department.