Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Needs Assessment
The 2022 Our City, Our Home Oversight Committee's Needs Assessment.
This report fulfills the OCOH Oversight Committee's responsibility--defined in San Francisco Business Tax Regulation Code § 2810 (e)(2)(B)-- to:
Conduct a needs assessment with respect to homelessness and Homeless populations, including but not limited to an assessment of available data on sub-populations with regard to race, family composition, sexual orientation, age, and gender.
The report finds that homelessness in all its forms is the result of racial and economic inequality. Effective responses to homelessness will overcome barriers to housing faced by low-income Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian communities in San Francisco. Meeting the needs of these communities, the report finds, will require a diverse set of crisis interventions, problem solving solutions, treatment options, mental health services, shelter, and housing programs.
As the impact of OCOH investments begins to be seen, it is clear that even with the OCOH Fund, resources are not available at the scale the homeless crisis demands. Targeted new investment to meet the diverse needs of people experiencing homelessness and to increase flow through the homeless response system will maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of those interventions. In addition to significant new investment, ending homelessness will require coordinated effort within government and with partners across sectors in order to strengthen the social safety net, foster economic mobility for people living in poverty, and realize housing stability.
The Committee reviewed and made comments on multiple drafts of the Needs Assessment over the course of a year. At the November 16, 2022 Special Meeting the Committee reviewed the final draft of the Needs Assessment. The Committee finalized and approved the cover letter and needs assessment at its December 15, 2022 Special Meeting.
Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Exploration of Existing Data
In Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Needs Assessment began exploring existing data to answer the following questions:
- Who is homeless in San Francisco? (See Population Analysis for more.)
- What resources exist for homeless households? (See Inventory Analysis for more.)
- How well is the response to homelessness working? And, where are there disparities in outcomes? (see System Performance Analysis for more.)
2021 Listening Sessions
In 2021 the Our City, Our Home Oversight Committee held Listening Sessions to better understand the community needs and priorities for OCOH Fund investment. The Listening Sessions informed the Oversight Committee's budget recommendations for Fiscal Years 2021-2022 and 2022-2023. A report of that stakeholder engagement is available here: Summary of Listening Sessions.