HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF
SAN FRANCISCO
Leroy Lindo, Chairman
Ted Yamasaki, Co-Chairman
Joaquin Torres, Committee Member
RESIDENT SERVICES, OPERATIONS & PERSONNEL
COMMITTEE AGENDA
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
4:00 pm
City Hall
1 Dr. Goodlett Place, Room 408
San Francisco, California 94102
(415) 715-3954
Barbara T. Smith
Acting Executive Director
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“The Mission of the San Francisco Housing Authority is to deliver safe and decent
housing for low income households and integrate economic opportunity for
residents.”
SAN FRANCISCO HOUSING AUTHORITY
JOAQUIN TORRES, PRESIDENT
SAN FRANCISCO HOUSING AUTHORITY
Leroy Lindo, Chairman
Ted Yamasaki, Co-Chair
Joaquin Torres, Committee Member
Barbara T. Smith, Acting Executive Director
CITY HALL
1 Dr. Goodlett Place Room 408
SAN FRANCISCO, California 94102
www.sfha.org
RESIDENT SERVICES, OPERATIONS and PERSONNEL COMMITTEE
MEETING NOTICE
Tuesday, February 10, 2015·4:00 p.m.
1. The Resident Services, Operations and Personnel Committee of the San Francisco Housing Authority (“Committee” or
“Authority”) holds its meetings in City Hall room 408, San Francisco, California 94102.
2. Disability Access: Room 408 is wheelchair accessible. The closest accessible BART Station is Civic Center, three blocks from
City Hall. Accessible MUNI lines serving this location are: #42 Downtown Loop, the #71 Haight/Noriega, the F Line to
Market and Van Ness, and the Metro stations at Van Ness and Market and at Civic Center. For more information about MUNI
accessible services, call (415) 923-6142.
3. There is accessible parking at the following locations: two (2) designated blue curb spaces on the southwest corner of
McAllister Street at Van Ness Avenue; the Performing Arts Garage (entrance on Grove Street between Franklin and Gough
Streets), and at Civic Center Plaza Garage.
4. Agenda, minutes and attachments are available at www.sfha.org as well as the Authority’s Administrative Office located at
1815 Egbert Avenue, San Francisco, California 94124. If any materials related to an item on this agenda have been distributed
to the Committee after distribution of the agenda packet, those materials are available for public inspection during normal
business hours at the Authority’s Administrative Offices.
5. In order to assist the Authority’s efforts to accommodate persons with severe allergies, environmental illness, multiple
chemical sensitivity or related disabilities, attendees at public meetings are reminded that other attendees may be sensitive to
various chemical based products. Please help the Authority accommodate these individuals.
6. The use of electronic sound-producing devices at/during public meetings is prohibited. Please be advised that the meeting
President may remove any person(s) responsible for the ringing or use of cell phones, pagers and similar sound-producing
electronic devices from the meeting room.
7. Requests for public comment may be heard after staff presentation on any Regular Agenda Item. Speakers at Committee
meetings are requested, but not required, to identify themselves and fill out cards placed on the table at the entrance door. The
public may address the Committee for up to two minutes or four minutes for speakers who require an interpreter, or unless
otherwise approved by the Committee. The Chair of the Committee may limit the total testimony to 30 minutes. A speaker
may not yield his or her time to another speaker. Committee procedures do not allow for dialogue between the Committee and
the public. The Committee may not take action on a new proposal, which is not on the agenda.
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---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------AGENDA
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ORDER OF BUSINESS
1. Call to order and roll call
2. Approval of minutes:
a. Regular Meeting: January 13, 2015
3. General Public Comment on subject matters related to the Residents Services, Operations
and Personnel Committee
4. Report(s):
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Crime statistics from the San Francisco Police Department
Monthly Report:
Client Placement update
Monthly Report:
Attrition Report
Monthly Report :
Leased Housing Programs (HCV/Section 8)
Monthly Report:
Public Housing Operations
Public comment(s)
5. Adjournment
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HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO
RESIDENT SERVICES, OPERATIONS & PERSONNEL COMMITEE MINUTES
MINUTES
January 13, 2015
SCHEDULED: 4:00 p.m. City Hall, Room 408, 1. Dr. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA 94102
COMMISSIONERS PRESENT:
Leroy Lindo, Chairman
Ted Yamasaki, Co- Chair
Joaquin Torres, Commissioner
Item 1:
COMMISSIONERS EXCUSED:
Meeting Called to Order
Chairman Yamasaki called the meeting to order at 4:18 PM
Item 2:
Approval of Minutes:
a.
Special Meeting: December 9, 2014
Public Comment

None
Motion:
Item 3:
First:
Commissioner Torres moved to approve
Second:
Commissioner Yamasaki
Vote:
Ayes:
Commissioners Torres and Yamasaki
Nays:
None
Motion passed
General public comment on subject matters related to the Resident Services,
Operations and Personnel Committee

None
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Item 4:
Report(s):
a. Crime statistics from the San Francisco Police Department
Presented by: Commander Garret Tom, San Francisco Police Department (SFPD)
Commissioner Torres asked if the crime statistics for Hunter’s View, Hunter’s Point,
and Westbrook could be separated. He requested that the crimes occurring in the
newly developed units of Hunter’s View be compared to the older units that had not
yet been renovated. Commander Garret Tom of the San Francisco Police Department
(SFPD) stated that he would speak to the crime analysis unit to determine if a
separation of Hunter’s View, Hunter’s Point and Westbrook statistics was possible.
Commissioner Torres asked if there had been any increase in crime reporting from
the residents at the Ping Yuen developments. Commander Tom stated that Captain
Lazar from Central Station was actively encouraging Ping Yuen residents to report
crime. Commander Tom stated that crime reporting had increased due to the SFPD’s
outreach to residents, but that crime was still underreported. Commissioner Torres
asked if any additional security measures had been taken to secure the Ping Yuen
developments. Commander Tom responded that Malcom Young of the Chinatown
Community Development Center (CCDC) had spoken with the Mayor of San
Francisco to propose that two full-time police officers be hired to patrol the Ping Yun
area.
Commissioner Torres asked how close in proximity a crime had to be to an Authority
property to be considered a housing development crime. Commander Tom explained
that a crime had to occur inside or in front of a housing development to be considered
a housing development crime. Commissioner Torres asked if crime committed across
the street from a development would be considered a housing development crime.
Commander Tom stated that it would not.
Commissioner Yamasaki asked if the increase in theft from locked vehicles was a
city-wide trend. Commander Tom stated that it was. Commissioner Yamasaki asked
if there was anything the authority could do to educate residents about crime
prevention. Commander Tom recommended that the Authority send individual letters
or post signs in the housing developments reminding residents not to leave items in
their cars in plain sight.
Public Comment

None
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b. Monthly Report: Client Placement Update
Presented by: Nicole McCray-Dickerson, Director of Client Placement
Commissioner Torres asked if staff could provide a report at the next Resident,
Services, Operations and Personnel (RSOP) Committee Meeting, as well as at the
next full Commission Meeting, detailing the potential impact of new clients being
placed into the Senior/Disabled community. Nicole McCray-Dickerson, Director of
Client Placement, stated that staff would provide the information to the Commission
at the next RSOP meeting.
Velma Navarro, Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer (COO),
reported that the Authority had opened their waitlist to homeless families on January
13, 2015, and would remain open until January 18, 2015. She stated that the first day
had gone smoothly and that none of the overcrowding problems anticipated by staff
had occurred. Ms. Navarro reported that the Authority had already received 2800
housing applications. Commissioner Yamasaki asked if the statistic represented the
number of applications that had been started, or the number of applications that had
been completed. Ms. Navarro stated that 2800 represented the number of applications
that had been completed. Commissioner Yamasaki asked if staff had provided any
computer kiosks at their office at 1815 Egbert Ave. for applicants to use. Ms.
McCray-Dickerson stated that staff had provided a total of six computers for
applicants to use at Egbert. She stated that ten additional (10) computers and printers
had been set up at 440 Turk Street.
Commissioner Torres asked for staff input on an article in the Examiner regarding the
opening of the Authority’s waitlist. He stated that Jennifer Friedenbach, Executive
Director of the Coalition on Homelessness, had expressed the hope that homeless
individuals would take advantage of the opening of the waitlist. Commissioner Torres
stated that the Authority had been very proactive in ensuring that the opening of the
waitlist had been advertised as widely as possible. He stated that the Examiner article had
mentioned past resistance from the public and some community partners to the opening
of the waitlist. Ms. McCray-Dickerson stated that the Authority was sensitive to all issue
relating to the opening of the waitlist. She explained that the waitlist currently had 7000
individuals waiting for housing and that the opening of the waitlist would increase this
number significantly. Ms. McCray-Dickerson stated that staff had made it clear to all
applicants that applying for the waitlist did not guarantee housing.
Acting Executive Director Barbara Smith explained that staff had monitored the waitlist
prior to opening it up for applications. Ms. Smith explained that staff had calculated to
ensure there were enough applicants in the highest housing preference category to cover
all the newly vacant units. She stated that the opening of the waitlist would add to the
number of applicants in the highest preference category. Ms. Smith stated that the
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opening of the waitlist had been carefully planned, following multiple meetings with the
Authority’s community partners.
Ms. McCray-Dickerson provided the Commission with a demonstration of the online
waitlist application process. Commissioner Lindo asked how applicants who spoke a
language other than English would be able to understand the application questions.
Ms. McCray-Dickerson explained that the application had been translated into many
languages and that a language option was provided at the beginning of the application
process.
Commissioner Torres asked if there was a limit on the number of applicants allowed
to apply. Ms. McCray-Dickerson stated that there was no limit. She explained that
the Authority would be selecting which applicants to place on the waitlist based on a
random selection. Commissioner Torres asked what the selection process was, and
how a successful applicant would be notified. Ms. McCray-Dickerson stated that
plans were underway to launch a web application that would notify applicants of their
waitlist status. She stated that staff could also send letters to successful applicants.
Ms. McCray-Dickerson stated that the random selection process would begin once
data was scrubbed to ensure there were no duplicate applications. Commissioner
Torres asked how many people would be added to the waitlist after the random
selection had been made. Ms. McCray-Dickerson stated that 3,000 to 5,000 people
would be added to the list. Commissioner Torres asked how staff planned to
determine whether the number would be 3,000 or 5,000. Ms. McCray-Dickerson
explained that staff would analyze vacant unit data to determine how many applicants
the Authority could potentially accommodate. Commissioner Torres asked if the
Authority’s community partners fully understood and were satisfied with the waitlist
selection process. Ms. McCray-Dickerson stated that they were.
Commissioner Yamasaki asked if staff could ensure that all applicants were aware
that the waitlist selection process was random. Ms. McCray-Dickerson stated that the
Authority had provided information regarding the random selection process during
the initial announcement of the waitlist opening, and that staff would continue to
spread the information to applicants.
Commissioner Torres asked if staff would determine the number of available waitlist
spots (3,000 to 5,000) before the applicant selection process began. Ms. McCrayDickerson assured the Commission that the calculation would be complete before the
selection process began. Commissioner Torres asked if the application deadline
would close at 11:59 PM on January 18, 2015. Ms. McCray-Dickerson stated that the
application would close electronically at exactly 11:59 PM on January 18, 2015.
Commissioner Yamasaki asked what would happen if an applicant was in the middle
of an application when the deadline closed. Ms. McCray-Dickerson stated that
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applicants in the middle of an application were given an extra 30 to 45 minutes past
the deadline to complete the application before it closed.
Commissioner Torres asked when the waitlist had last been open to the public. Ms.
Navarro stated that the waitlist had not been open for new applicants since 2010.
Commissioner Yamasaki asked what the waitlist process had been like in 2010. Ms.
McCray-Dickerson stated that the 2010 waitlist application process had required the
use of paper applications, which had been a much slower, less efficient process.
Commissioner Yamasaki commended staff for the efficiency of the new waitlist
process.
Public Comment

None
c. Monthly Report: Attrition Report
Presented by: Phyllis Moore-Lewis, Acting Human Resources Director
Phyllis Moore-Lewis, Acting Human Resources Director, reported that 18 candidates
had initially begun maintenance mechanic training, and that 15 candidates had
successfully completed the training. Commissioner Lindo asked why three of the 18
candidates had not completed the training. Ms. Moore-Lewis explained that the three
candidates had voluntarily quit.
Ms. Moore-Lewis reported that that Authority had 15 voluntary retirements in 2014.
Commissioner Yamasaki asked if 15 retirements indicated an unusually high number
of retirements. Ms. Moore-Lewis stated that staff would analyze the data and provide
more detailed information regarding the retirements at the next RSOP meeting.
Commissioner Torres asked if any of the retirees had taken advantage of the
voluntary layoffs offered by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Ms.
Moore-Lewis responded that all voluntary layoffs offered by the SEIU had already
been utilized by former Authority employees.
Commissioner Lindo asked if staff was planning to hire new employees to fill the
positions that had been vacated. Ms. Moore-Lewis stated that the positions left vacant
by voluntary layoffs were being filled with temporary hires.
Public Comment

None
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d. Monthly Report: Leased Housing Programs (HCV/Section 8)
Presented by: Steven Rosario, Director of Leased Housing.
Steven Rosario, Director of Leased Housing, reported that the utilization of the
Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program was at 98 percent. Mr. Rosario also
reported that the utilization for the Family Unification Program (FUP) and the
Veteran Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) were 75 percent and 83 percent
respectively.
Mr. Rosario stated that the Authority had achieved 100 percent PIC reporting, which
was the highest percentage in the Authority’s history. He reported that staff was 96
percent current on annual recertifications and inspections. Mr. Rosario reported that
staff was projecting a 41 point Section 8 Management Assessment Program
(SEMAP) score for January 2015.
Mr. Rosario indicated that the HCV department would be engaging in extensive staff
training sessions in 2015 to ensure that staff was up to date on all changes to
company policies and computer systems.
Public Comment

None
e. Monthly Report: Public Housing Operations
Presented by: Twima Earley, Director of Public Housing, and Linda Martin-Mason,
Director of Government Affairs and Policy
Commissioner Torres asked Twima Earley, Director of Public Housing Operations, if
the Office of the Mayor of San Francisco had recently made a financial contribution
to aid in the Authority’s rehabilitation of public housing units. Ms. Earley replied that
the Office of the Mayor of San Francisco had made provided the Authority with a
financial contribution. Commissioner Torres asked how much the Mayor’s Office
had contributed. Ms. Earley stated that the Mayor’s Office had contributed 2.6
million dollars to assist the Authority with rehabilitation public housing units. Acting
Executive Director Barbara Smith explained that the City funding had been provided
to assist homeless and involuntarily displaced families. Commissioner Torres asked
how many homeless and involuntarily displaced families the Authority could house
with the 2.6 million dollar grant. Ms. Smith stated that the Authority was expecting to
house 150 to 170 families. Commissioner Torres requested that staff provide a
regular update on the number of families that were benefiting from the grant. Ms.
Smith stated that staff was tracking the data.
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Commissioner Torres asked if staff would be able to increase the number of families
successfully housed in February 2015. Ms. Earley stated that staff would work to fill
more vacant units. Ms. Smith explained that unit vacancies at Rental Assistance
Demonstration (RAD) properties had been increased and had contributed to the
overall number of vacant units. Commissioner Torres asked if the vacant units at the
RAD properties would be used for on-site resident relocation. Ms. Smith stated that
this was correct. She explained that the number of vacant units had increased at the
RAD properties to provide room for residents of the properties to relocate within the
same building. Ms. Smith stated that the RAD Phase I properties would begin the
conversion in October 2015.
Ms. Earley reported that staff had closed all work orders that were more than 30 days
old by December 31, 2014. She stated that the Authority had 1,372 works orders that
remained open, all of which were less than 30 days old. Commissioner Yamasaki
asked if staff had tracked the exact number of days each work order had been open.
Ms. Earley stated that staff had calculated the average number of days each work was
open, which amounted to 12 days.
Commissioner Torres asked if staff had noticed any patterns for repeated work orders
at specific sites. Ms. Earley explained that staff primarily analyzed work order data to
eliminate duplicate work orders. She stated that she would consult with the
Information Technology (IT) department to discuss if monitoring repetitious work
orders was possible.
Commissioner Lindo asked if residents were satisfied with the work order process.
Ms. Earley stated that most residents were satisfied and that resident complaints and
decreased.
Linda Martin-Mason, Director of Government Affairs and Policy, reported that the
majority of tenants were paying their rent between the 8th and the 14th of the month,
after 14-day notices had been served. Commissioner Torres asked how staff planned
to implement new strategies to handle residents that were not paying their rent. Ms.
Martin-Mason stated that staff was working on requiring modified payment plans in
the stipulated agreements. She stated that staff was also working to implement an
electronic payment system. Ms. Martin-Mason indicated that staff would be meeting
with their community partners to create a resident outreach plan.
Commissioner Yamasaki asked if the Authority engaged with their community
partners to create strategies that would help change the rent payment culture amongst
residents. Ms. Martin-Mason explained that staff made rent collection reports to their
community partners every month. She stated that staff had made it clear to their
community partners that the Authority was losing money due to uncollected rent.
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Acting Executive Director Barbara Smith explained that staff was working to educate
residents on the importance of paying rent and being in good standing with the
Authority. Ms. Smith stated that the Authority was encouraging their community
partners to focus on resident outreach. She stated that staff was working in
cooperation with many different groups to handle the rent issue and to promote
residents’ financial independence. Commissioner Yamasaki requested that staff
provide regular reports to the Commission on forthcoming strategies to deal with the
rent issue.
Commissioner Yamasaki asked if it was possible to provide more detail on rent
collection data. Velma Navarro, Deputy Executive Director and COO, explained that
the Authority’s new Emphasys Software system would allow staff to breakdown the
rent collection data into more detailed categories, such as current rent, late fees,
maintenance fees, rent collection through repayment agreements, etc. Commissioner
Yamaski asked when the system would go live. Ms. Navarro stated that the new
system would go live in June 2015.
Commissioner Lindo commended staff for their successful operations and overall
increase of company efficiency.
Commissioner Torres recommended that staff consider holding a few RSOP
meetings on-site at community developments to enable staff to address resident
issues. He asked staff to assess the most effective way to promote greater resident
attendance at Commission and Committee meetings. Commissioner Torres requested
that a formal item be added to the Commission Meeting agenda on January 22, 2015,
to commemorate that passing of Commissioner Patricia Thomas. He asked for a
moment of silence to honor Commissioner Thomas.
Public Comment

Item 5:
Randall Glock; stated that the Authority had to change the rent payment culture
among residents in order to have more success with rent collection. Mr. Glock
stated that Alice Griffith, Sunnydale and Potrero Terrace residents had the largest
rent collection problem. He requested that the Authority correct his rent
statement, which had been three dollars off for almost a year.
Adjournment
Meeting adjourned at 6:35 PM
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50
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Cumulative Totals include September
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Cumulative Totals include September
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105
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Adjournment
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