HSH lays out ‘Home by the Bay’ targets: 4,500 housing exits first year, emphasize equity and outcomes

Deputy Director Cynthia Najendra presented the department’s five‑year strategic plan “Home by the Bay” and a first‑year action plan to the Homelessness Oversight Commission on Aug. 30.

Najendra said the plan sets system goals — including a 50 percent reduction in unsheltered homelessness and a 15 percent reduction in the overall count over five years — and ties those goals to inventory targets for prevention, shelter and permanent housing. For fiscal year 2023‑24, the department projects roughly 4,500 exits to housing that will be achieved through the combined effect of prevention/problem‑solving, rapid rehousing, permanent supportive housing and the flexible housing subsidy pool.

The plan places equity at the center, Najendra said, and commits HSH to produce baseline equity metrics by year’s end and to convene community workgroups, including people with lived experience, to interpret data and guide corrective actions. Accountability mechanisms include quarterly public reporting for selected measures and an annual summary that will compare year‑one progress to five‑year targets.

Najendra emphasized quality and system flow: staffing and provider capacity affect outcomes, she said, so measures of service quality will be developed and tied to contracts over time. For the goal of preventing returns to homelessness, HSH aims to reach a national benchmark of 85 percent of people who exit homelessness not returning to the system over a defined period; staff said they will present a baseline methodology and look‑back window for that measure.

Commissioners asked for specifics on methodology and baselines. Najendra said HSH will refine definitions (look‑back period for returns to homelessness, handling of unknown exits) and work with the department’s data team and providers to operationalize measures that can be tracked in dashboards and contracts. The commission requested follow‑up briefings on prevention program targeting and on how HSH will calibrate outcome measures with provider data capacity.

Najendra said FY23‑24 budget investments advanced about 1,650 prevention households (roughly 34% of the five‑year prevention goal), 594 shelter beds (about 55% toward a five‑year shelter target) and 235 new housing slots (about 7% of the five‑year housing goal), noting this first year emphasizes infrastructure building and measurement capacity.