Emergency Housing Vouchers

We call these “emergency” housing vouchers because they are funded through federal COVID-19 relief. The vouchers offer long-term rental assistance. Voucher holders use the EHV to lease units on the private market.  

• The Housing Authority covers part of a voucher holder’s rent based on income.  
• HSH: 
  • Referred eligible households to the Housing Authority for the program. 
  • Provides supportive services to households that need them. 

HSH started the referral process to the Housing Authority in fall 2021. The last referrals took place by the referral deadline of September 30th, 2023.  We are tracking our progress on referrals and move-ins.

HSH created community-informed local priorities for referring households. These priorities align with our agency’s strategic plan and equity goals. Addressing racial inequities in homelessness was one of the priorities. We identified historically underserved neighborhoods in San Francisco's District 10, which includes the Bayview neighborhood. HSH’s goal was to refer at least 30% of our EHVs to people staying in District 10. 

More Background on EHVs

Tenants who receive EHVs: 

• Live in their own unit throughout the private rental market.  
• Pay 30% to 40% of their income on rent, with the rest covered by the Housing Authority through the voucher. 
• Keep the voucher for as many years as needed. The voucher holder must be in compliance with HUD and Housing Authority regulations. 
• Receive help searching for housing and paying for move-in costs. These costs can include security deposits and furniture.   
• Can receive voluntary housing-focused supportive services funded by HSH. These services include connections to benefits, communications with a landlords, and case management. 

Eligibility for EHVs:

In San Francisco, EHV referrals were only for families and individuals who are:    

At least ONE of the following:

• Currently experiencing homelessness.
• At risk of experiencing homelessness.
• Recently homeless and at high risk of housing instability.
• Fleeing, or attempting to flee, violence. This includes domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or human trafficking. 

ALL of the following:

• Do not have a conviction for producing methamphetamines in publicly funded housing.
• Are not subject to a lifetime sex offender status on a state registry.
• Have at least one household member who is a US citizen or eligible non-citizen. The citizen or eligible non-citizen does not have to be 18 or older. Only those with eligible citizenship of immigration status are subsidized. This will result in a higher (pro-rated) rent for the family based on eligible family members.

Local Priorities:

San Francisco also had local goals to determine who received a voucher. We needed more criteria to distribute the limited number of vouchers equitably. This program was referral-based. This means individuals could not apply directly to the Housing Authority. Instead, HSH identified and referred applicants. HSH’s priorities included: 

• Addressing racial inequities in homelessness caused by structural racism. We prioritized households who have been historically marginalized through community-based referral partners. 
• Reducing homelessness by prioritizing people who are currently experiencing unsheltered homelessness. 
• Decreasing inflow into homelessness by prioritizing people at risk of homelessness. 

Referral Methods:

There were several referral methods for this program.  

• HSH’s Coordinated Entry system referred many households to the program. These referrals came through our standard housing prioritization process.
• HSH also worked with 15 designated referral partners, including providers who serve survivors of violence. We selected these providers based on their experience working with our focus populations. These partners identified households to refer to the program.  
• HSH also opened an online screener. This screener allowed households that were not yet in our system of care to apply. 

Number of EHVs:

The federal government allocated 906 EHVs to San Francisco. We issued far more than 906 vouchers since we were able to refer new households to some vouchers that were not used or were no longer being used. These vouchers were available for a new referral before the September 30, 2023, referral deadline. There were three main reasons we re-referred vouchers, as shown on the first dashboard: 

1. Voucher went to another county: A household could bring their EHV to another county. Transferring the voucher to the housing authority in another county is called porting. Some of the ported vouchers returned to San Francisco and a new household was referred.
2. Household moved to other permanent housing: Some households found other permanent housing options and no longer needed an EHV. Their vouchers were open for a new referral before the referral deadline.  
3. Vouchers expired: There is a 180-day window for households to lease a unit, with a possible 60-day extension. After this period, vouchers became available for a new referral before the deadline. 

More Information and Useful Links:

• Frequently Asked Questions 
• San Francisco Housing Authority webpage 
• HUD EHV program website  
  • Contains data that updates less frequently than HSH’s dashboard. 
• For questions about the emergency housing voucher program, please contact HousingChoiceVouchers@sfgov.org 
• To learn more about available housing choice voucher programs, contact the San Francisco Housing Authority.