The new director of San Francisco’s first Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, Jeff Kositsky, has his work cut out for him, that’s for sure. Fortunately, he’s got a plan.
Kositsky has outlined 28 immediate priorities and another 23 long-term goals to tackle the problem, as outlined by a recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle. These include a boatload of new supportive housing, additional subsidies for indigent families and seniors, and an expanded Homeless Outreach Team that will strive to differentiate between those who are poor and in need of services versus those engaged in illicit activities on the street. And those are just a few of his ideas.
Kositsky’s agenda is offering newfound hope to frustrated residents and city leaders alike who feel the issue has been ignored for far too long, allowing it to spin out of control.
“It was extremely frustrating my first few years at City Hall, when no one else was talking about the issue despite the fact it was a huge concern for residents of our city,” said Supervisor Mark Farrell.
That has begun to change. Last year, the city spent $241 million on homeless services and supportive housing—a number that will balloon this year. Kositsky’s new department has a budget of $220 million this fiscal year, though there are still some hard feelings over $12 million of new homeless spending because it comes from a sales tax hike that doesn’t even go to voters until November.
Nothing is perfect, and Kositsky is still working out a few glitches to make sure the city is getting the most bang for its buck. The stakes are high, and Kositsky knows it.
“All I can ask for now,” he said, “is continued pressure by the public and by the media to focus on commonsense, compassionate solutions — to not let the department be buffeted by the political winds.”
You got it.