Families in SF shelters afraid to end up on streets as the city implements 90-day stay limit
Families in San Francisco shelters are receiving letters to let them know they can’t stay there longer than 90 days.
By Luz Pena
Wednesday, February 5, 2025 8:44PM
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — In San Francisco, families in shelters are receiving letters to let them know they can’t stay there longer than 90 days.
Cindy Veloz sleeps in a San Francisco family shelter with her kids. Today is day 25 for them.
Luz Pena: “What is your plan if you have to leave the shelter after 90?”
Cindy Veloz: “We don’t have a place to go. We would just have to go to another shelter because we have nowhere else to go.”
Cindy’s family is one of 309 in the San Francisco family shelter system facing this reality.
It follows the city’s Homelessness and Supportive Housing Department decision last December reinstating the pre-COVID shelter stay limit of 90 days.
Emily Liotta has slept in a family shelter with her three kids since last April. She recently received the dreaded notification.
“Recently we received a letter saying that we were being displaced. That letter said we must leave by February 10,” said Liotta.
Today these families joined forces to speak up many are immigrants who are not only concerned about housing but being outside in the elements after 90 days with their children as mass deportations loom.
“The city wants to evict families from shelters after 3 months and then will let them extend for 30 days if they deem them worthy of those 30 days. So, I don’t understand how that helps anybody,” said Rev. Victor Floyd with Faith in Action.
HSH said they’ve granted all families currently (as of January 2025) enrolled in a 90-day family shelter a one-time automatic 30-day extension.We questioned what happens even after that?
In a statement, HSH said:
“If a family still needs more time after the three 30-day extensions then HSH needs to assess the request relative to the eligibility requirements in the policy and HSH, rather than the provider, would authorize the extension.”
Parents and teachers urging San Francisco’s Mayor to intervene.
“We have found that approximately 19 percent of our families are living in unstable housing conditions,” said Heidi Avelina Smith, Principal at Everett Middle School.
“We are in a crisis. We are in an emergency, and we can’t wait. We can’t wait another month to see what is going to happen,” said Cris Garza, Everett Middle School Teacher.
In November of 2024, San Francisco approved $50 million to expand shelter capacity for homeless families.
“According to the department of homelessness and supportive housing they do have the funding, they do have the capacity and now the question is what is the hold up? and I think that is the bureaucracy that has been the holdup,” said SF supervisor Connie Chan.
Full HSH statement:
“In December 2024, the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) rolled out a series of reforms to the family homelessness response system. The purpose of the reforms is to improve efficiency and better meet the needs of families in our community. These reforms will help increase the flow of families through system and connect them with long term housing solutions more quickly.
As part of this reform package, HSH changed the shelter waiting list eligibility and prioritization to focus on families living in the direst situations, including unsheltered homelessness. HSH has also reinstated the pre-COVID shelter length of stay limit of 90 days. If a family and provider need more than 90 days to help end the family’s homelessness the provider can authorize up to three 30-day extensions based on family circumstances and the guidelines of the policy. Additional extensions can be authorized by HSH based on family circumstances.
The intent of the policy is to ensure that shelter is used as an emergency resource that focuses on connecting families to long term housing options to resolve their crisis as quickly as possible.”
Background:
“Family homelessness is a heartbreaking crisis that impacts some of the most vulnerable people in our community. To better address the needs of families in our community, HSH worked closely with family providers and people with lived experiences of homelessness to develop key reforms to the family homelessness response system. These reforms were rolled out in December 2024.
The purpose of the reforms to the family homelessness response system are intended to improve efficiency and better meet the needs of families in our community by increasing flow through the family system to ensure that families connect with long term housing solutions more quickly and reinforce the use of temporary shelters for emergency situations.
As part of this reform package, HSH is changed the shelter waiting list process to ensure that it is focused on people living in the direst situations, including:
- Living in a place not meant for human habitation
- Residing in shelter/hotel w/exit date of less than 14 days
- Residing in a residence and being evicted w/in 14 days
- Leaving an institution and was homeless prior
- Fleeing domestic violence
- Pregnant people or people reuniting with children transferring from shelter for adults without children
- Families living in a shelter without 24-hour access to amenities
In addition to the changes in the waiting list prioritization, HSH has also reinstated the pre-COVID shelter length of stay limit of 90 days. If a family and provider need more than 90 days to help end the family’s homelessness the provider can authorize up to three 30-day extensions based on family circumstances and the guidelines of the policy. Additional extensions can be authorized by HSH based on family circumstances.
The intent of the policy is not to push families out of shelter prematurely but to ensure that shelter is used as an emergency resource that focuses families on long term housing options to resolve their crisis as quickly as possible.
While the reforms were informed by providers and people with lived experiences of homelessness, we have updated the policy to reflect additional feedback that we have received from community partners to add an additional reason for extension.
Given this update, HSH granted all families currently (as of January 2025) enrolled in a 90-day family shelter a one-time automatic 30-day extension to their shelter stay.During this time, HSH will provide additional communications materials and training to the provider staff implementing the updated policy so that it can be done transparently and equitably.
Click here to access the updated policy.