Mayor Edwin M. Lee today issued the following statement regarding the homeless investments included in President Barack Obama’s Fiscal Year 2017 budget proposal, which requests nearly $6 billion to fund targeted homelessness assistance programs that support evidence-based solutions that San Francisco has effectively demonstrated can be successful in ending homelessness, including permanent supportive housing and rapid re-housing, and requests an additional $11 billion over 10 years for short and long-term rental assistance in mandatory funding to prioritize ending homelessness among families with children:

“Like too many cities across the country, San Francisco is facing an affordable housing crisis, particularly for housing the City’s homeless population. While the City has committed unprecedented resources to addressing this critical issue, it will take support at all levels of government to care for and house our most vulnerable families. I share the President’s deep commitment to ending homelessness for every man, woman, youth and family across the country, and I applaud President Obama for prioritizing these residents in his proposed budget.

This proposed homeless funding will greatly support San Francisco’s goal of ending homelessness for 8,000 San Franciscans by 2020. While the challenge is significant, San Francisco has the programs in place to accomplish this critical goal. The City has an exceptionally high housing stability rate for chronically homeless individuals placed in permanent supportive housing. With a strengthened commitment at the Federal level, the City can build on this success and make real progress towards comprehensively and compassionately addressing homelessness on our City’s streets.”