San Francisco, CA—Today the San Francisco Housing Authority (SFHA) received notice from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that SFHA is in default of various agreements and obligations owed to HUD. The notice requires that the City assume responsibility for the essential functions currently being performed by SFHA.

“My first priority is to ensure that the 14,000 households that rely on the Housing Authority subsidies keep their housing. At the same time, I am also committed to ensuring that the Housing Authority’s employees are not unfairly harmed by the actions the Housing Authority, and the City must take to meet the obligations HUD has outlined. The time has come for real transformation of the Housing Authority to ensure both long term housing stability for our residents, and to continue moving forward with our multi-year effort to rebuild and transform distressed public housing communities. My office and City departments will be working closely with the Housing Authority during this transition to ensure our residents are protected.”

During this transition, the City will continue to work collaboratively with HUD to ensure the financial stability of SFHA’s housing choice voucher and public housing programs. Approximately 14,000 households rely on housing vouchers. In addition, the City’s HOPE SF program is currently focused on rebuilding approximately 1,400 units of distressed public housing.