Q&A
Council Member Ayala questions HASA officials on program performance and budget
1:02:21
ยท
4 min
Council Member Diana Ayala engages in a Q&A session with HASA officials, focusing on the program's performance indicators, budget allocations, and housing services. The discussion covers delays in processing housing benefits, increases in SRO hotel budgets, and details about HASA's supportive and transitional housing contracts.
- HASA explains that delays in processing housing benefits were due to a backlog of recertifications following COVID-19 waivers.
- Officials clarify that the increase in SRO hotel budgets is due to fluctuating needs and per-diem funding structure.
- HASA provides specific figures on their supportive and transitional housing contracts and units.
Diana Ayala
1:02:21
Alright.
1:02:24
I'm gonna move to the PMMR indicators for Hassell.
1:02:27
According to the latest city performance report, in the first four months of fiscal year twenty five, the average number of days to issue enhanced housing benefits from submission of completed application increased by 39% to twenty, point nine days.
1:02:42
What is the cause of the increase in average days that HASA clients must wait after submission to receive housing benefits?
Jacqueline Dudley
1:02:49
Yeah.
1:02:49
Thank you for that question.
1:02:51
Certainly, we strive at the Haas program to process all applications as quickly as possible.
1:02:58
We, by by law, we have thirty days after an application is completed to, issue the benefits if the, if the application is approved.
1:03:11
However, during this past summer, the summer of twenty twenty four and early fall, we did have a larger than normal amount of recertifications.
1:03:24
And why did that happen?
1:03:25
It was because during the COVID pandemic and shortly thereafter, we had gotten, the to stay delayed and granted, a waiver of, recertification for a lot of clients so that they didn't have clients could shelter at home.
1:03:40
And so recertification dates were were pushed out.
1:03:43
But what happened was last summer and early fall, they reached the first recertification dates and new ones came due.
1:03:50
At the same time, we had our normal, recertifications due every month during that time period.
1:03:54
So we had a larger than normal amount of research and the same staff who were handling those numbers were handling the benefit issuances.
1:04:03
So we just had a larger volume during those months, July, August, September, October.
1:04:09
The good news is we're starting to see it, level out and, and so we're hoping that the our performance will return back to its normal rates.
Diana Ayala
1:04:20
That makes sense.
1:04:21
Yeah.
1:04:23
The budget for HASA SRO hotels went up substantially between the November 2025 budget and the preliminary 2026 budget from 28,600,000.0 to 46,600,000.0, an $18,000,000 increase.
1:04:36
Can HRE detail what the increase is but in budgeted, funding is for?
John Rojas
1:04:41
Sure.
1:04:42
Our our budget is since our SRO emergency housing portfolio is per diem and it's based on need, it's funded at one amount.
1:04:52
And as needed, we increase the budget to accommodate additional resources they may need.
1:04:57
So, basically, we don't un over fund it because we may not need as many units at that time.
1:05:02
But as we monitor it on a daily basis, how many folks are being placed, how many require emergency housing in SROs, And as that number increases or decreases, we adjust the budget.
1:05:13
So as the year goes by, we usually will see on an annual basis an increase to cover the cost, unlike our transitional housing contracts or supportive housing where you have a set contract, you enter into a contract with a person, and and that contract is, you know, locked in place.
1:05:27
For SROs, it's, you, it's like a hotel.
1:05:29
You pay as you, you know, as you reside, and if nobody's in there, we don't pay you for it.
1:05:34
So as that number fluctuates, we adjust our budget accordingly.
Diana Ayala
1:05:39
How many SROs SRO hotels are you guys using?
1:05:43
A contracting
John Rojas
1:05:43
Currently, we have, we have 2,117 units of, emergency housing, SRO housing.
Diana Ayala
1:05:53
Okay.
1:05:57
What is can you tell us what is the budgeted funding for HASA contracts in fiscal year twenty six and in the out years?
John Rojas
1:06:05
Sure.
1:06:05
So I can tell you currently what our, for f y twenty five, currently for supportive housing, we have an annual the contract value of our conch of our supportive housing contracts is a hundred and $79,000,000.
1:06:21
We have 98 contracts, for roughly about 500 and 5,500, units of supportive housing.
1:06:30
For transitional housing, we have, annual budget of 26,000,000 with 774 contracted units.
Diana Ayala
1:06:40
Okay.
1:06:41
Are are all 78 contracts for direct HASA services for HRA clients?
John Rojas
1:06:47
Oh, for our housing?
1:06:48
It is solely for HAASA clients.
Jacqueline Dudley
1:06:50
Okay.
Diana Ayala
1:06:52
Okay.
1:06:54
I have no further questions.
1:06:57
Seeing that if there are no other questions from the panel, from the members, then that concludes this part of the hearing.
1:07:04
Thank you so much for coming.
John Rojas
1:07:05
Thank you.
1:07:05
Thank you.