Housing Authority details $9.2 million for Plaza East repairs and resident services

The San Francisco Housing Authority on April 25 outlined a package of new funding and procurement steps intended to stabilize Plaza East and expand on-site resident services.

Zawadi Langa, the authority's procurement lead, told the Board of Commissioners the authority plans $1.2 million in resident‑services funding, delivered as $400,000 per year over three years, scoped from resident input beginning in 2023. The services solicitation will be issued as a request for proposals and include outreach to small and minority‑owned firms via the agency's vendor marketplace, she said.

Langa said the authority committed $5,000,000 for capital improvements at Plaza East using remaining 2021–2022 capital grant funds (HUD approved the use in December 2023). The Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development has committed $2,000,000 in city funds pending the city loan committee's approval, bringing the capital total to $7,000,000. Langa also identified a $1,000,000 allocation toward insurance needs and said the overall new funding totals $9,200,000.

"We began scoping services based on conversations with Plaza residents," Langa said, adding the services RFP and the IFB for capital work will be refined with resident input and published through the housing authority marketplace so contractors receive official solicitations.

CEO Tanya Lagiju placed the new funds in historical context, saying HUD provides an operating subsidy to Plaza East of about $2.2 million annually and that the authority has previously contributed additional funds to cover repairs and insurance increases. "We provide the full $2.2 million HUD subsidy to the site," she said, noting the authority added roughly $1.1 million in recent years for unplanned expenditures and insurance costs.

Staff described procurement safeguards: services proposals will be evaluated by a selection panel (the authority said one of five panelists may be a resident reviewer for RFPs), while construction contracts will use an invitation for bid process with low‑bid award and HUD responsibility checks. Langa said staff will provide a brief procurement training to residents who participate on selection panels to explain differences between RFP and IFB processes.

Resident‑facing service providers at Plaza reported ongoing tenant engagement: FRH Consulting said it hosts coffee hours, weekly meals for families, healing and wellness circles with the Department of Public Health (serving roughly 20 residents monthly), and technology and senior programming. Staff said outreach uses calendars, door knocking and text/email blasts.

Next steps: staff said they will present a final IFB and RFP scope after soliciting Plaza resident priorities (residents will have a short comment window to inform the IFB), then post solicitations on the housing authority marketplace and in public notices. The board and staff emphasized HUD approvals and compliance as constraints on capital and procurement timelines.

The authority did not provide exact contract award dates at the meeting. Staff said they expect to complete outreach and publish solicitations in the coming weeks and to follow HUD's approval processes for use of restricted capital funds.