Smiling mother with young child at playground
Credit: BRIDGE Housing / David Baker Architects / Julio Cesar Martinez

Community Stabilization

Learn about the City's existing policies and programs as well as ideas for future consideration with our interactive website and toolkit, which provides a starting point for agencies, decision-makers, and community members to explore stabilization efforts and identify critical pathways forward.

Community Stabilization Report

Thumbnail image of cover

Read the Public Report and the Executive Summary
中文  |  Español  |  Filipino

Draft Policy and Program Inventory

San Francisco is experiencing increasing income inequality, population growth tied to economic growth, and a lack of affordable housing. These realities are leading to a loss of the middle class and displacement for many communities while the economy booms for others. Housing stock has not kept pace with job growth, pushing prices up for a limited supply of units. 

On many fronts, the City is working to address the detrimental impacts of displacement pressures on vulnerable populations and businesses. Yet, the scale of the current challenge is such that the City must expand its efforts to meet the need.

What is the Community Stabilization initiative?

The Community Stabilization initiative is a multi-agency effort to assess the City’s existing portfolio of tools, unify fragmented efforts into one comprehensive inventory, and identify priorities for the future. 

The initiative seeks to mitigate the impacts of ongoing displacement and help vulnerable populations thrive and contribute to the City’s economy and culture. It enables decision-makers to make strategic choices and support interagency coordination to help stabilize our vulnerable populations.

How Are We Defining Key Terms?

Displacement – The process by which a household is forced to move from residence—or is prevented from moving into a neighborhood that was previously accessible to them because of conditions beyond their control (UC Berkeley Urban Displacement Project, 2018). 

Vulnerable Populations – For the purpose of this report, vulnerable populations refer to categories of people who are at higher risk of displacement after eviction due to individual and institutional barriers to acquiring market-rate housing. The vulnerable populations included in this report are not an exhaustive list of all categories of people at higher risk but are based on self-identified data in the qualifying documents for inclusion in the Small Sites Program. The categories are Senior (65+ years of age), Disabled, Families with children, Black/African-American, Latinx/Hispanic, Asian, and Pacific Islander. These categories were identified because these groups of people experience disproportionate hardship after eviction (Desmond & Tolbert Kimbro, 2015; Desmond, 2013, 2012). 
 

Project Documents

Links

  • UC Berkeley's Urban Displacement Project
    The Urban Displacement Project is a research and action initiative that aims to understand the nature of gentrification and displacement in the Bay Area, Southern California and Portland.
  • Housing Affordability Strategy
    The Housing Affordability Strategy will provide a framework to help City staff, policymakers, and the public evaluate how our housing policies and plans work together to address housing affordability for our diverse population.
  • Mission Action Plan 2020
    The Mission Action Plan 2020 seeks to retain low to moderate income residents and community-serving businesses (including Production, Distribution and Repair), artists, and nonprofits in order to strengthen and preserve the socioeconomic diversity of the Mission neighborhood.
  • Sustainable Chinatown
    Sustainable Chinatown aims to protect the elements that make the Chinatown neighborhood unique while addressing its most serious challenges.
  • Tenderloin Development Without Displacement
    The Tenderloin Development without Displacement Initiative (TLDWDI) is a community planning effort lead by seven Tenderloin anchor institutions, Tenderloin residents, and the San Francisco Planning Department. TLDWDI formed in response to the displacement of low income people from the Tenderloin neighborhood.

Step 1

Group of seniors at a rally

Data review and analysis – In this first step, the Department coordinated with UC Berkeley’s Urban Displacement Project, the U.S. Census, and other City data sources to compile and analyze information to better understand displacement pressures within San Francisco’s neighborhoods. This information was presented to the Planning Commission on October 11, 2018.

Step 2

Kids playing

Compile and assess the City's existing stabilization and displacement prevention programs and policies and identify priorities – City agencies and community experts helped to assess the City’s tenant protections and housing stabilization, housing production and preservation, cultural stabilization, and economic development efforts. Key trends, benefits, issues, and ideas for consideration to enhance their purpose and reach are included in the inventory. Based on community input and in close coordination with City agencies and the Mayor’s Office, key priorities were identified that will strengthen the City’s community stabilization efforts.

Community Organizations & Stakeholders

smarket vendorWe have engaged with numerous community organizations and stakeholders to understand what issues they face and assess programs they manage or use. A list of community organizations and stakeholders, and meetings with community organizations is available below:

  • AGI Avant
  • ASIAN Inc.
  • BALANCE
  • Bentall Kennedy
  • Bonnewit Development Services
  • BRIDGE Housing
  • Central City SRO Collaborative
  • Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC)
  • Chinatown SRO Collaborative
  • Council of Community Housing Organizations (CCHO)
  • Dolores Street Community Services
  • Enterprise Opportunity Council
  • Episcopal Community Services
  • Glide Foundation
  • Haight Street Neighborhood Association
  • Homeownership SF
  • Housing Rights Committee
  • Market Street for the Masses
  • Mercy Housing California
  • Mission Economic Development Association (MEDA)
  • Mission Housing Development Corporation
  • Mission SRO Collaborative
  • Presidio Bay Ventures
  • PODER
  • REDF
  • San Francisco Apartment Association
  • San Francisco Housing Action Coalition (SFHAC)
  • San Francisco Housing Development Corporation (SFHDC)
  • Senior and Disability Action
  • SF Community Land Trust
  • SF Foundation
  • SF LGBT Center
  • Share Better SF
  • SPUR
  • SRO United Families Collaborative
  • Tenants Union
  • Tenderloin Housing Clinic
  • Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation (TNDC)
  • Tenderloin People's Congress
  • TODCO
  • Young Community Developers
  • Youth Community Center

Meetings Held with Community Organizations

Topic Community Stakeholders Date
100% Affordable Housing Program Bonnewit Development Services
BRIDGE Housing
Mercy Housing California
San Francisco Housing Action Coalition
Mission Housing Development Corporation
Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation
Episcopal Community Services
Young Community Developers
March 26, 2019
Project Introduction SF Foundation

January 23, 2018
February 16, 2018

Tenant Protections MOHCD Housing Counseling Working Group February  26, 2018
March 1, 2019
SRO Protections Chinatown SRO Collaborative
Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation (TNDC)
Senior and Disability Action
SRO United Families Collaborative
Mission SRO Collaborative
Glide Foundation
Faithful Fools
Market Street for the Masses
May 29, 2018
September 25, 2018
Small Sites Program CCDC
CCHO
MEDA
SF Community Land Trust
Mission Housing Development Corporation
June 29, 2018
Homeownership Stabilization and Empowerment Programs Homeownership SF
San Francisco Housing Development Corporation
MEDA
ASIAN Inc.
BALANCE
SF LGBT Center
CCHO
October 24, 2018
Short-Term Rentals

Unite Here 2
Senior Disability Action
Share Better SF
Haight-Ashbury Neighborhood Association
SF Apartment Association

December 6, 2018
December 19, 2018
Lottery Preference Program

CCDC
Balance
Young Community Developers
Homeownership SF
MEDA
Bishop SF

December 19, 2018
Inclusionary Housing

CCDC
CCHO
Bentall Kennedy
Homeownership SF
AGI Avant

Presidio Bay Ventures

February 27, 2019

 

Planning Commission presentation of the public draft on October 17, 2019 – see item 12 on agenda.
Summer/Fall 2017 Urban Displacement Project update
Winter 2017 Draft Existing City Programs and Policies Toolkit
Spring/Summer 2018 City Agency and Community Stakeholder Meeting
Summer/Fall 2018 Program and Policy Assessment
Fall 2018 Planning Commission Informational Presentation
Winter 2018/Spring 2019 Policy and Program Inventory
City Agency and Community Stakeholder Meetings
Summer/Fall 2019 Policy and Program Inventory and Priorities
City Agency and Community Stakeholder Meetings
Fall 2019 Planning Commission Informational Presentation of Public Draft 
Fall/Winter 2019 Refine Community Stabilization Public Draft
City Agency and Community Stakeholder Meetings
Winter 2019 Final Community Stabilization Policy and Program Inventory and Priorities

Planning Department

Carla de Mesa
Senior Community Development Specialist
carla.demesa@sfgov.org

Partners

We are working with City agencies that manage and administer funding for community stabilization programs. These include: Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD), Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD), Department of Public Health, Rent Board, Department of Building Inspection, Human Rights Commission, Small Business Commission, HOPESF, Human Services Agency, Arts Commission, and Housing Authority.