September 25, 2020 

A Message From The Supervisor:

My team and I have been working hard to provide supports and resources for our community during this time. I know we are facing a pandemic and there is extreme hardship in our community, but we will get through this together!

Please don't hesitate to email us at SafaiStaff@sfgov.org or call us at 1-415-554-6976 if we can assist you in any way and we will immediately respond. 

Thank you all for your time, cooperation, and perseverance! 

Sincerely,




Supervisor Ahsha Safai 

MAJOR VICTORY FOR LATINO COMMUNITY AND SAN FRANCISCO IN THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID

Mayor London Breed announced yesterday over $28 million in expanded support for the Latino community, which has been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.

Latinos make up 50% percent of reported cases of COVID-19 in San Francisco, despite the demographic making up just 15% of the City’s population, according to the Department of Public Health. The disproportionate effect of COVID-19 on the Latino community can be traced back to crowded living conditions and the high number of frontline and essential workers who are Latino.

The Department of Public Health has committed $7.3 million to support COVID-19 response efforts, this includes $3 million for community pop-up testing hubs, which have been a key strategy to bring testing to neighborhoods most impacted by COVID-19. 

The Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD) will provide $8.5 million in housing subsidies, direct financial assistance, and eviction prevention. This investment includes $5.5 million in rental subsidies and $2 million in funding for the City’s Right to Recover program, which provides up to two weeks of minimum wage replacement, and increasing the investment in eviction prevention services with by $1 million that targets communities disproportionately affected by displacement, specifically residents in Districts 6, 9, 10 and 11.

$5.3 million will be directed for food access, learning support, and family support. Building off initial investments in food access for the Latino community, the Human Services Agency will provide an additional $3.6 million dollars to support vital nutrition resources for the Mission and neighborhoods with Latino residents most in need. These food supports will be provided through community food hubs offering fresh produce and healthy, culturally relevant grocery staples for pick up or delivery to vulnerable community members.

The Department of Children Youth and Families will support Spanish-speaking communities impacted by learning loss and social isolation by expanding San Francisco’s innovative Community Hubs Initiative with $812,000 for eight Community Hubs for children and youth.

The Office of Economic and Workforce Development has committed $1.4 million for workforce and small businesses. This includes $1 million in zero interest loans for small businesses and funds for the Excelsior neighborhood to increase capacity for bilingual workforce development, including support for short-term case management and skills development, and wrap-around services connected to the City’s COVID response.

My team has been working HARD to push for these funds and to make sure our Latino community has the support they need during this time of crisis and that D11 is not forgotten or left out. Thank you to Mayor Breed, to our various City Departments, SF Latino Taskforce, Excelsior Strong, Excelsior Works, and SF Latino Parity and Equity Coalition for your partnership. This is a major win and we look forward to seeing these resources come into the community to fight COVID!

Applications for the next round of Nonprofit Sustainability Initiative grants are now open! This is a multi-agency partnership between OEWD, MOHCD and the Arts Commission that provides real estate assistance and support for the nonprofit sector. Up to $2.4 million is available in this round for acquisition of newly nonprofit-owned space.

In addition to financial assistance, Community Vision provides rapid response consultation for nonprofits impacted by COVID-19 and real estate planning services to help with site identification, evaluation, lease negotiation, and fiscal due diligence. Nonprofits seeking lease stabilization assistance can apply now for consulting services.

Learning sessions will take place on Thursday September 24th and October 1st. Interested applicants must schedule a consultation call by Friday, September 25^th.

Financial assistance for acquisition includes: Up to $1 million or 25% of the acquisition price for newly nonprofit-owned space.

CITY SECURES $45 MILLION IN STATE PROJECT HOMEKEY FUNDING TO ACQUIRE HOTEL FOR HOMELESS HOUSING

San Francisco was awarded nearly $45 million in capital and operating costs from the State’s Project Homekey for the purchase of the Granada Hotel as Permanent Supportive Housing. The San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing and Episcopal Community Services, will purchase and refurbish the 232-room Lower Nob Hill hotel. The purchase of the hotel is part of Mayor Breed’s Homelessness Recovery Plan, which includes the largest one-time expansion of Permanent Supportive Housing in 20 years.

Under the Homekey program, funding will be applied to the purchase and rehabilitation of The Granada Hotel, a 232-unit Single Room Occupancy building at 1000 Sutter Street with vacant units and existing tenants, including low-income senior residents, who are at-risk of potential displacement due to unrestricted rents. The Granada Project will both protect existing tenants at risk of homelessness and create new units of Permanent Supportive Housing for people experiencing chronic homelessness.

In July, Mayor Breed announced her Homelessness Recovery Plan, with planned investments in the upcoming two-year budget and continued delivery of funded projects and programs, will expand the City’s capacity in the Homelessness Response System. The Homelessness Recovery Plan will make 6,000 placements available for people experiencing homelessness through Coordinated Entry, including 4,500 placements in Permanent Supportive Housing. This includes acquiring or leasing 1,500 new units of Permanent Supportive Housing over the next two years, the largest one-time expansion in the City in 20 years.

As of July 2020, San Francisco has approximately 8,000 units of Permanent Supportive Housing that provide permanent homes and services to approximately 10,000 San Franciscans.

SAN FRANCISCO HISTORY DAYS 2020

This weekend the New Mission Terrace Improvement Association and the Friends of the Geneva Car Barn are participating in the SF History Days--"virtual version" this weekend from September 25-27.

On the pages you will find slideshows of the early Mission Terrace neighborhood and of the MUNI Geneva Office Building, Car Barn, and Powerhouse.

This is the first time that the Outer Mission will have a presence at SF History Days!

We hope to generate interest in both our neck of the woods and in the other SF History Days programs.

Please see the links below.

https://sfhistorydays.org/genevacarbarn/

https://sfhistorydays.org/new-mission/

https://sfhistorydays.org/2020-programs/