Rules committee backs longer cadence for senior and disability housing needs reports

The Rules Committee on May 13, 2024 voted to send a proposal from the Human Services Agency (HSA) to the full Board recommending a longer cadence for two housing reports that focus on seniors and adults with disabilities.

Susie Smith of HSA told the committee the department seeks to publish the Aging and Disability Affordable Housing Needs Assessment every eight years instead of every three years to align more closely with the city’s housing element and to allow the research to better inform formal housing plans. She also proposed publishing the Aging and Disability Housing Needs report every other year instead of annually, saying housing supply and senior-occupancy trends change slowly and the current cadence is too frequent to yield actionable policy insights.

Smith said producing the reports requires substantial staff time—about a year each—and that the department uses a consultant (about $170,000) to support the community-engagement process. She said the longer cadence would free staff to analyze the impact of policy changes and produce more actionable findings.

Chair Ronan moved to send the item to the full Board with a positive recommendation; the committee voted unanimously to do so.