Committee refers probation contract increase for Tenderloin Housing Clinic without recommendation amid monitoring concerns; approves Westside program amendments

The Budget & Finance Committee on May 1 sent an Adult Probation Department contract amendment to the full Board without recommendation after the Budget & Legislative Analyst raised concerns about program performance and the department's monitoring.

Adult Probation asked the committee to approve a fifth amendment to a multi-year agreement with Tenderloin Housing Clinic, increasing the not-to-exceed amount by approximately $1.2 million to continue funding justice-involved residential programs (Drake Hotel, Sharon) through June 30, 2024. Taris Madison, APD deputy director, said the contract began during the COVID period and has been amended multiple times to add time and funding. APD reported recent occupancy improvements and said it will resume formal, in-person program monitoring beginning this summer after prior staffing shortages limited site visits.

The Budget & Legislative Analyst reported that the vendor had not consistently met program or property-management objectives and that placements into permanent housing were lower than expected; BLA recommended the Board consider not funding the request or require APD to return with a corrective plan as part of the budget process. Chair Chan said she would move the item to the Board "without recommendation" pending more accountability during the upcoming budget review. The committee recorded two ayes (Melgar and Chan) with Vice Chair Mandelmann absent and referred the amendment without recommendation.

Separately, the committee approved two Westside Community Mental Health Center contract amendments (Items 14 and 15) to extend and fund the MENA (72-bed dual-diagnosis transitional housing) and TRP (65-bed sober transitional living) programs through 2026–2027. BLA found those programs met contract requirements but again recommended APD resume comprehensive on-site monitoring, citing staffing shortfalls that had limited inspections. The committee forwarded both Westside items to the full Board with positive recommendations.