SF mayor offers details on directing $181 million windfall towards solving city's housing crisis

SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) - San Francisco's Mayor London Breed on Thursday offered the most detailed plans for how to spend a $181 million windfall from excess education revenue.

The mayor said it should be used to shelter the homeless and create and preserve affordable housing. 
"I'm proposing that we spend $90.5 million on affordable housing and $90.5 million on homelessness, behavioral and mental health programs and cleaning our streets," said Breed.

The mayor says that money would create 1,300 new shelter beds 86 recovery beds for mental health and chemical dependence. It could also be used in the city's small sites program to buy existing properties to keep them affordable and purchasing 900 new affordable housing units similar to the tenderloin community development corporations property at 1036 mission family housing.

Shawana Holmes is one of the residents. Formerly homeless for 10 years, she says affordable housing changed her life.

"I would be in a tent again with my kids," she said.

She says housing security for herself and her six children has allowed her to return to school and take culinary classes. She says access to affordable housing can help thousands just like her. 

"They can do it. I did it. If I can do it, they can do it too, it's not hard. I'd just tell them all the places I went to get here today," said Holmes.

The mayor's proposal will go before the Board of Supervisors in January. The decision on how to spend that $181 million windfall expected early next year.