Grand Jury Investigates San Francisco Contracting for Homelessness Services

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Jun 29, 2023, 10:06 ET

Report Finds Deficiencies in Contracting Process

SAN FRANCISCO, June 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2022–2023 San Francisco Civil Grand Jury released findings that inadequate and inconsistent contracting practices between San Francisco's Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) and Community Based Organizations (CBOs) have contributed to the City's failure to solve its homelessness crisis. This failure is most notable for the chronically homeless.

The Jury's year-long investigation of HSH contracting determined that many contracts fail to focus on tracking and reporting results. The Jury also found that CBOs, who received over $1 billion over the past five years to furnish services to San Franciscans experiencing homelessness, are inadequately monitored.

The Jury report addresses HSH contracting because San Francisco largely delivers homelessness services through contracts with CBOs. If those services are to meaningfully reach the homeless individuals they are intended to help, HSH must effectively draft, monitor, and oversee these contracts—and evaluate the value of the services CBOs provide.

Improvements in contracting and contract monitoring could improve productivity of City and nonprofit personnel, nonprofit performance, and the effective use of taxpayer funding, the Jury found. The report offers qualified praise for HSH's efforts to improve contracting practices and emphasizes that such improvements should be a department priority moving forward.

"Despite its many successes, HSH has fallen short of its original stated goal of eliminating chronic homelessness," said Karen Kennard, Jury Foreperson. "The City's economic challenges require that we utilize every dollar spent on homelessness wisely. Improving HSH contracting to focus on measuring and monitoring actual outcomes is one way to do that."

A recent City plan, "Home By the Bay," identified that not all subpopulations of the homeless have benefited equally from recent interventions. The Jury agreed. "We must ensure that all subpopulations of those experiencing homelessness, particularly the chronically homeless, benefit equally," Kennard said.

The Jury report cited a need for greater visibility and transparency in City efforts to eliminate homelessness and recommended improvements to the City's tracking of homelessness benchmarks.

"To end homelessness for all requires substantial effort, and addressing HSH contracting deficiencies is an important part of that effort," Kennard said.

To read the full report, please visit Hitting the Performance Bullseye: Contracting for Better Outcomes in Homelessness Services.

About the San Francisco Civil Grand Jury

The Superior Court selects 19 San Franciscans to serve year-long terms as Civil Grand Jurors. The Jury has the authority to investigate City and County government by reviewing documents and interviewing public officials and private individuals. At the end of its inquiries, the Jury issues reports of its findings and recommendations. Agencies identified in the report must respond to these findings and recommendations within either 60 or 90 days, and the Board of Supervisors conducts a public hearing on each Civil Grand Jury report after those responses are submitted. For more information, visit the San Francisco Civil Grand Jury website: https://civilgrandjury.sfgov.org.

SOURCE San Francisco Civil Grand Jury