Responding to Supervisor’s Resolution, SF Housing Authority Announces Plans to Use the Federal “Faircloth-to-RAD” Program to Create 750 Units of Low-Income Housing
San Francisco – After the Board of Supervisors unanimously passed Supervisor Preston’s resolution calling for the Housing Authority (SFHA) to fully leverage the “Faircloth-to-RAD” program provided by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”), the Housing Authority has released its plan to build and rehab over 750 units of housing in San Francisco. The announcement provides a pathway for new deeply affordable rental units with a permanent federal subsidy in San Francisco.
“I am proud to have partnered with the National Housing Law Project (NHLP) and my colleagues to ensure that we are following the lead of other big city Mayors and Public Housing Authorities to fund new permanently affordable homes for low-income San Franciscans,” said Supervisor Preston. “This announcement is a major step forward in our fight to build more deeply affordable rental units in San Francisco. My office will continue to do everything possible to make sure the administration fully utilizes these substantial but time-limited federal funds.”
The report released by the San Francisco Housing Authority, confirms that “the initial projects selected to go through the Faircloth-to-RAD will consist of approximately 750 units of new construction and rehabilitation projects identified from MOHCD pipeline for seniors, families, and formerly homeless households. These projects are in the pre-development phase that allows for the integration of Faircloth-to-RAD into their financial plans. Existing affordable housing properties with deeply affordable units that do not currently have Project Based Vouchers are being evaluated for participation in this initial phase.”
San Francisco has a critical shortage of affordable rental housing, particularly for low-income households. According to the City’s recently passed housing element, San Francisco must create over 46,000 affordable units during the eight-year cycle 2023-2031, but it has no current plan to achieve that goal in part due to a lack of funding.
“The Faircloth to RAD program can help San Francisco create more deeply affordable housing,” said Deborah Thrope, Deputy Director of the National Housing Law Project. “San Francisco, like other high-cost cities across our state, can and should seize this valuable and urgent opportunity to ensure that quality, low-rent housing is available to families who need it the most.”
While the San Francisco Housing Authority’s announcement of 750 new units is an important step, it is still short of the full amount the Housing Authority could create under the program. Specifically, San Francisco has the opportunity to create up to 3,668 new deeply affordable rental units in the City, which would be subsidized in perpetuity by HUD.
“I’m glad our resolution created some urgency on this and motivated action,” said Supervisor Preston. “My goal is to make sure our City is leveraging every opportunity to create affordable housing.”