HSH presents permanent housing portfolio and costs as city expands PSH

HSH deputy director Marion/Marion Sanders delivered a high‑level briefing on the department’s permanent housing portfolio, detailing program types, capacities and recent growth while flagging quality‑of‑service and capital‑repair needs.

Sanders told the commission that HSH’s portfolio is organized into four major components: site‑based permanent supportive housing (PSH), scattered‑site PSH, rapid rehousing and a ‘‘housing ladder’’ aimed at tenants who need less intensive support. She reported capacities of roughly 9,064 site‑based units, about 2,057 scattered‑site units, 1,719 rapid‑rehousing slots and 356 housing‑ladder units.

The presentation included estimated operating costs used in city planning: site‑based supportive housing service costs average a little more than $40,000 per adult annually and roughly $65,000 per family; scattered‑site programs and rapid rehousing show similar adult per‑participant costs in the low‑$40,000 range. Sanders said these figures informed the citywide strategic plan and five‑year modeling.

Sanders described performance measures (housing retention, successful move‑ins, time‑to‑move‑in, and maintenance of housing 24 months after rapid‑rehousing subsidies end) and emphasized expanded quality‑housing‑standards inspections across both federal and locally funded units. She also noted equity initiatives including a BIPOC equity fund and an ‘‘End Trans Homelessness’’ training series for providers.

Commissioners and staff discussed the legacy portfolio of older SROs and the expense and complexity of bringing some buildings to modern habitability standards. Salvador Mancuber, HSH director of housing, explained that HSH is deploying capital improvement funds for repairs, elevator modernization, and increased inspections; Finance staff said $5M from the prior budget cycle and an additional $10M were allocated for capital improvements and elevator work to be rolled out in the coming 6–8 months.

Next steps: HSH plans further, topic‑specific deep dives on scattered‑site programs, the housing ladder and enhanced supportive services to help the commission monitor outcomes and capital investments.