Housing for All – launched by Mayor London N. Breed – aims to make the recently certified Housing Element a reality. The San Francisco Planning Department is working with City agencies in collaboration with communities to expand housing choices, improve permitting processes, and secure sustained public funding for affordable housing.

We are acting to fundamentally change how we approve and build housing.

As prices skyrocket, teachers, first responders, service workers, and those who keep the City running have been forced to leave their neighborhoods. San Francisco's diverse communities, particularly American Indian and Black communities, continue to decrease, while the number of unhoused residents remains alarmingly high. San Francisco is for everyone, and now is the time to plan for people during all phases of their life including providing starter homes for young professionals, affordable housing for working families, and units and services that support our seniors.

San Francisco is committed to:

  • Housing as a right  
  • Repairing the harms of historic racial, ethnic, and social discrimination
  • Building enough housing for existing residents and future generations

Protection, Preservation, and Production

The Road to 82,000 New Homes: Beginning in Spring 2023, the San Francisco Planning Department will work alongside government agencies, community-based organizations, and residents to focus on these key activities:

Expanding Housing Choice

To build more housing, our zoning laws must accommodate for more units citywide with a focus on the western half of the City in areas with good access to transit and other services.

Affordable Housing Funding and Strategies

Meeting required affordable housing targets will take substantial coordination and funding commitments from government, private, non-profit, and philanthropic sources.

Housing Production and Process Improvements

Simplify the permitting and approval of housing projects across City agencies. This will reduce housing costs and ensure housing is built efficiently.

Activating Community Priorities

Collaborate with Equity Communities and Cultural Districts to act on housing needs. To view all the new local housing legislation underway, visit the Housing Legislation Tracker.

SF Housing Policy and Practice Review

Links to the state of California’s Department of Housing and Community Development’s Policy and Practice Review and related communications between HCD and the City.

Housing Resources

The Housing Resource guide is for individuals experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity. Use this list to find Homeless Services, Rental Services & Eviction Assistance, Tenant Rights, and Affordable Housing in San Francisco.

2022 Housing Element

The Housing Element was adopted in January 2023 and is San Francisco’s plan for meeting our housing needs for the next 8 years (2023-2031). It is the City’s first housing plan centered on racial and social equity. Its policies and programs express San Francisco’s collective vision for the future of housing, guiding policymaking, housing programs, and the allocation of resources.