Deputy Director Cynthia Najendra unveils San Francisco's Home by the Bay strategic plan

The San Francisco City Council meeting on July 4, 2025, focused on the strategic plan "Home by the Bay" and the annual action plan aimed at addressing homelessness in the city. Deputy Director Cynthia Najendra from the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) presented updates on the five-year strategic goals, which include reducing homelessness, addressing racial inequities, increasing housing placements, ensuring housing stability, and preventing homelessness.

Najendra emphasized the importance of aligning the strategic plan with actionable goals and performance measures. The plan, which runs from July 2023 to June 2028, aims to reduce unsheltered homelessness by 50% and overall homelessness by 15% over five years. The annual action plan breaks these long-term goals into specific targets for the first year, focusing on measurable outcomes such as reducing homelessness and improving equity in service delivery.

Key objectives include increasing the number of individuals exiting homelessness to at least 30,000 over five years, with a target of 4,500 for the current fiscal year. Najendra highlighted the need for quality services and effective strategies to ensure that at least 85% of those who exit homelessness do not return. The meeting also addressed the importance of data collection and analysis to track progress and identify areas for improvement.

Commissioners expressed support for the strategic goals and discussed the integration of these objectives into contract selection criteria for service providers. This approach aims to ensure that all interventions contribute to the overarching vision of reducing homelessness and promoting equity.

The meeting concluded with a commitment to ongoing public reporting and accountability, including quarterly updates on progress towards the established goals. The city aims to engage individuals with lived experience of homelessness in shaping policies and practices, ensuring that the strategies implemented are responsive to the needs of the community.