HSH report shows eviction disparities; commissioners and residents urge delay to SFMTA parking rules for RV families

The San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) told the Homeless Oversight Commission on Tuesday that evictions from permanent supportive housing are concentrated among younger adults, men and people with mental‑health conditions, and that Black tenants are overrepresented among those evicted.

HSH Executive Director Shereen McSpadden said the department’s FY22‑23 analysis found an overall eviction rate in site‑based permanent supportive housing near 1.22 percent. “Thirty‑four percent of supportive housing tenants were Black in this particular time period; they were 45 percent of those evicted,” she said, prompting calls from commissioners for immediate deeper analysis and targeted responses.

Commissioner Kristen Evans, who had requested additional eviction and denial‑of‑service data, told McSpadden the commission’s charter empowers it to investigate troubling trends. “To do our job effectively and provide the level of oversight expected of our body, we must have the ability to break through superficial levels of information,” Evans said as she urged HSH to disaggregate evictions by provider and by reason.

McSpadden said the department would return with more detailed breakdowns in January, including provider‑level eviction reasons and site‑level denial‑of‑service counts. She also highlighted that 58 percent of evicted clients had a documented mental‑health condition versus 38 percent of the PSH population, a disparity commissioners called “disturbing.”

Public commenters at City Hall pressed a related, urgent topic: dozens of families living in RVs on Winston Drive and Buckingham Way face new San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) four‑hour parking restrictions. Advocates and residents said many households include working parents and school‑age children and that enforcement without an available safe‑parking site would displace families into greater instability.

“Eliana Binder of Glide said the parking restrictions ‘will push these families deeper into instability and homelessness,’” McSpadden reported HSH has been coordinating outreach and pursuing a safe‑parking location but acknowledged the city does not yet have a fully operational site for everyone affected. Commissioners repeatedly asked whether SFMTA would delay the restrictions; Vice Chair Bevin Dufty said he had discussed the issue with MTA leadership and reported the agency was seeking more time and engagement with HSH, but McSpadden emphasized that SFMTA is not under this commission’s authority.

Providers at the meeting urged a two‑track approach: (1) immediate, targeted outreach and assessment for RV households so people are prioritized for housing or shelter and (2) a near‑term safe‑parking option so families are not forced to move before alternatives exist. Several providers also called for language‑accessible outreach: many affected households are monolingual Spanish or Portuguese speakers.

What’s next: Commissioners directed HSH to provide provider‑level eviction and denial‑of‑service data, including reasons for exits and referrals offered to evicted tenants, at the commission’s January meeting. They also asked staff to pursue and report on outreach and safe‑parking progress for Winston/Buckingham residents and to coordinate with SFMTA on enforcement timing.

The commission took no formal action on SFMTA policy at the meeting; commissioners and public commenters urged continued pressure and transparent updates from HSH and other city agencies.