Housing Mission
The current fight over the future of Mission Housing Development Corporation is a tragedy unfolding in slow motion.
Mission Housing has been incredibly successful at executing a supportive housing model. By providing not just affordable housing, but also support like employment training and drug counselling, MHDC has provided thousands of folks, both adults and families, with stable, high-quality housing.
In fact, the supportive housing that MHDC has been so successful at is the model for, among other things, the "care" component of Gavin Newsom's Care Not Cash.
Now, it seems, Mission Housing's board wants to abandon the very model that has made them so successful:
The problem with Mission Housing has been portrayed as primarily a Board that has thrown in the towel as far as trying to effect social change. This is as true, as far as it goes. But it also is happening in the context of the broader shifts in San Francisco's housing market. A vast majority of the new housing construction in SF over the last few years--and even more so in the Mission--has been for ownership, primarily lofts and condos, rather than as new rental stock. This makes sense for investors, since the Bay Area housing bubble is still growing incredibly quickly, with no real sign of slowing down. It does not, however, make sense for San Francisco, since the majority of San Franciscans can still not afford to purchase even a condo in the city.
The effects of this shift--from rental to ownership--have only begun to becoms visible, and have the potential to shatter the makeup of SF even more than the internet boom of the late 90s.
Mission Housing has been incredibly successful at executing a supportive housing model. By providing not just affordable housing, but also support like employment training and drug counselling, MHDC has provided thousands of folks, both adults and families, with stable, high-quality housing.
In fact, the supportive housing that MHDC has been so successful at is the model for, among other things, the "care" component of Gavin Newsom's Care Not Cash.
Now, it seems, Mission Housing's board wants to abandon the very model that has made them so successful:
Staffers and community members accused the directors of unilaterally shifting MHDC's attention from low-income rental housing for families and supportive-housing for formerly homeless adults to ownership projects for middle-income clients – while refusing to follow an open and democratic decision-making process.
While Del Carlo has told us none of the accusations are true, Wheelock confirmed at least one key shift. Although a major part of MHDC's housing model has been to provide services to support residents, Wheelock has been accused of dramatically cutting tenant services over the past few months. When questioned at the hearing, he validated this charge, saying that MHDC is a "housing-development organization, not a service organization."
The problem with Mission Housing has been portrayed as primarily a Board that has thrown in the towel as far as trying to effect social change. This is as true, as far as it goes. But it also is happening in the context of the broader shifts in San Francisco's housing market. A vast majority of the new housing construction in SF over the last few years--and even more so in the Mission--has been for ownership, primarily lofts and condos, rather than as new rental stock. This makes sense for investors, since the Bay Area housing bubble is still growing incredibly quickly, with no real sign of slowing down. It does not, however, make sense for San Francisco, since the majority of San Franciscans can still not afford to purchase even a condo in the city.
The effects of this shift--from rental to ownership--have only begun to becoms visible, and have the potential to shatter the makeup of SF even more than the internet boom of the late 90s.
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