San Francisco outlines $3 million push to end homelessness for transgender and gender‑diverse people

The Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing and the city’s equity office outlined an initiative to reduce homelessness among transgender, gender‑nonconforming and intersex people that combines targeted rental assistance, provider training and organizational capacity building.

Anthony Bush, HSH deputy director and chief equity officer, said the initiative received roughly $3 million in the FY23‑24 budget: about $1.6 million allocated to HSH and $1.3 million to the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOCD) to continue existing partnerships and expand services. HSH will lead project management and an equity‑driven implementation approach, Bush said.

Key workstreams include culturally specific PSH development via a TGNCI PSH RFP (budget and timeline to be implemented in early 2024), 112 flex‑pool vouchers selected under a racial equity lens, CBO cultural humility trainings for providers beginning in November, and a professional pathways program to help TGNCI staff grow into supervisory roles. Bush said equity office staff will coordinate a cross‑departmental core team and an advisory role for the Office of Transgender Initiatives.

Commissioners welcomed the initiative and asked for more detail on sources of carryover funding and program timelines. Bush said $2.25 million from prior fiscal allocations remains available to MOCD for partnerships and that the departments are still configuring project leads and contracting strategies. Commissioners asked to revisit the initiative with more budget detail and community context at a future meeting.

Public commenters with lived experience and advocacy groups urged HSH to ensure private bathrooms and kitchenettes in new PSH units, provide legal‑document assistance for name and gender changes, and maintain language access and safety measures for tenants. Bush said cultural humility trainings and community advisory input will guide program design.