CITY NAVIGATION CENTERS

SF-ADMIN ch. 106

in effect

SF Administrative Code § 106.1 NAVIGATION CENTERS REQUIRED.

SEC. 106.1. NAVIGATION CENTERS REQUIRED. As specified further in this Chapter 106, the City may open and operate Navigation Centers to address street homelessness and connect homeless people to health and mental health services, housing, benefits, and other services. For purposes of this Chapter, “Navigation Center” means a temporary, low-barrier-to-entry shelter that, through case management and social service programs, aids in moving homeless people off the streets and into permanent housing or transitional or stable supportive housing that eventually leads to permanent housing. (Added by Ord. 117-16, File No. 160278, App. 7/1/2016, Eff. 7/31/2016; amended by Ord. 61-19, File No. 190047, App. 4/4/2019, Eff. 5/5/2019)

SF Administrative Code § 106.2 OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR NAVIGATION CENTERS.

SEC. 106.2. OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR NAVIGATION CENTERS. (a) Each Navigation Center shall offer the following services: (1) Beds for no fewer than 40 and no more than 100 residents at a time, including, to the extent feasible, flexible housing arrangements whereby groups, families, and couples may stay together, provided that the 100-resident cap may be exceeded at a specific Navigation Center or Centers upon a written finding by the City Administrator that exceeding the cap would not compromise the objectives of this Chapter 106 or the operations of the affected Navigation Center or Centers; (2) Adequate showers and bathroom facilities; (3) Adequate storage for residents' personal property; (4) In-and-out privileges allowing residents to leave and re-enter the facility, provided that the City Administrator has discretion to impose reasonable restrictions on in-and-out privileges at all Navigation Centers, and the City Administrator or City Administrator's designee has discretion to impose such restrictions at a specific Navigation Center; (5) Access to health services, including mental health services, drug and alcohol treatment, and harm reduction interventions conforming to the Department of Public Health's Policy on Harm Reduction, as that policy may be amended from time to time; (6) Intensive case management to help connect people to housing; (7) Integration of low-threshold access to City services, including benefits screening and eligibility, transportation of belongings, and other services that will effectively reduce barriers to housing; (8) To the maximum extent feasible, a site that is at least 10,000 square feet in size, including outdoor space located within the boundaries of the Navigation Center site where residents may congregate; and (9) Three meals per day. (b) Each Navigation Center shall allow residents to keep their pets with them. (c) At least one Navigation Center shall focus on the needs of homeless persons, aged 18-29, who have experienced street homelessness. (d) The City Administrator shall explore the feasibility of operating one Navigation Center as a managed alcohol shelter that would allow residents to consume alcohol within the facility, and would provide those residents with alcohol treatment and supportive shelter services. (Added by Ord. 117-16, File No. 160278, App. 7/1/2016, Eff. 7/31/2016)

SF Administrative Code § 106.3 PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION.

SEC. 106.3. PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION. (a) The City shall have opened no fewer than three Navigation Centers under this Chapter 106 no later than 12 months after the effective date of the ordinance in Board File No. 160278, enacting this Chapter. The City shall have opened no fewer than six Navigation Centers no later than 24 months after the effective date of that ordinance. (1) If the City opens any Navigation Centers meeting the operational requirements set forth in Section 106.2 of this Chapter between the introduction of the aforementioned ordinance and its effective date, such Navigation Centers shall be treated as Navigation Centers under this Chapter and shall be counted among the three Navigation Centers to be opened within 12 months after the effective date of that ordinance, and among the six Navigation Centers to be opened within 24 months after the effective date of that ordinance. (2) If the City converts any existing homeless shelters into Navigation Centers meeting the operational requirements set forth in Section 106.2 of this Chapter, such Navigation Centers shall be counted among the three Navigation Centers to be opened within 12 months after the effective date of that ordinance, and among the six Navigation Centers to be opened within 24 months after the effective date of that ordinance; provided, however, that any Navigation Centers that are converted from homeless shelters are not required to comply with the 40-100 bed limit set forth in subsection (a)(1) of Section 106.2 or the requirement to allow residents to keep their pets with them set forth in subsection (b) of Section 106.2. (b) The City may enter into grant agreements with nonprofit organizations to provide services relating to Navigation Centers. (c) The homelessness services provided at the Navigation Centers may not be taken from homeless services at other shelters or drop-ins provided as of the effective date of this Chapter 106, but rather shall be in addition to those services. (d) The City shall locate Navigation Centers in areas accessible to homeless people. The City shall give first priority to unused or vacant sites owned or controlled by the City. The City shall give second priority to sites owned or controlled by the City that are being used for other purposes but could feasibly be converted to Navigation Centers. The City shall give third priority to private property or property owned by other, non-City public agencies, that could be leased or acquired by the City. (e) After identifying a site where a Navigation Center may be located, but before opening a Navigation Center on that site, the City Administrator, in consultation with the member of the Board of Supervisors who represents the district in which the identified site is located, shall conduct a thorough community outreach process with neighbors, neighborhood associations, and merchant associations on the site selection. (f) The City Administrator shall, no later than within 120 days of the effective date of the ordinance enacting this Chapter 106, submit to the Board of Supervisors for its review and comment an implementation and funding plan for this Chapter. (g) Within 90 days of the opening of each new Navigation Center, the City Administrator shall present the Board of Supervisors with a housing exit plan, consistent with the Equitable Exit Plan set forth in subsection (b) of Section 106.4, for that Navigation Center's residents to ensure regular turnover of its residents. This housing exit plan shall include stable housing options, including but not limited to SRO beds, supportive housing, public housing, and below-market rate housing, and shall take into consideration the need to preserve permanent housing resources for individuals in the shelter system and others seeking permanent housing. This housing exit plan may include transitional or temporary housing, but must be part of a long-term housing plan. (Added by Ord. 117-16, File No. 160278, App. 7/1/2016, Eff. 7/31/2016; amended by Ord. 61-19, File No. 190047, App. 4/4/2019, Eff. 5/5/2019)

SF Administrative Code § 106.4 EQUITABLE ENTRY PLAN; EQUITABLE EXIT PLAN; HOUSING REVENUE PLAN.

SEC. 106.4. EQUITABLE ENTRY PLAN; EQUITABLE EXIT PLAN; HOUSING REVENUE PLAN. To facilitate the equitable distribution of shelter and housing resources, and promote the development of new, permanent housing sufficient to meet the needs of San Francisco's homeless adults and young adults, the City Administrator shall develop and submit to the Board of Supervisors the plans set forth below. (a) Within 120 days of the effective date of this Chapter 106, the City Administrator, in close consultation with the Local Homeless Coordinating Board and community partners, including homeless and formerly homeless people, shall develop an "Equitable Entry Plan" that will identify the factors and circumstances to be considered when assigning homeless adults without minor children to Navigation Centers, and any circumstances that might give rise to a priority in placement. (b) Within 120 days of the effective date of this Chapter 106, the City Administrator, in close consultation with the Local Homeless Coordinating Board and community partners, including homeless and formerly homeless people, shall develop an "Equitable Exit Plan" that will identify the factors to be considered when moving homeless adults without minor children from Navigation Centers. homeless shelters, the street, or such other locations where they may reside, to transitional, supportive, and/or permanent housing, and any circumstances that might give rise to a priority in placement. The Equitable Exit Plan shall also identify the factors to be considered when moving homeless young adults from Navigation Centers, homeless shelters, the street, or such other locations where they may reside, to transitional, supportive, and/or permanent housing, and any circumstances that might give rise to a priority in placement. (c) Within 120 days of the effective date of this Chapter 106, the City Administrator, in close consultation with the Local Homeless Coordinating Board, community partners, including homeless and formerly homeless people, and the Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development, shall develop a "Housing Revenue Plan" that will identify sustainable revenue sources to support the Mayor's commitment to identify housing for 8,000 homeless individuals, including individuals in families, in the next four years. The Housing Revenue Plan shall estimate the costs associated with constructing new units, subsidizing turnover units in nonprofit housing, subsidizing market rate units, expanding rapid re-housing and other programs, and increasing supportive housing, and shall identify potential sources of revenue that could support the development of housing sufficient to meet the Mayor's goal. (Added by Ord. 117-16, File No. 160278, App. 7/1/2016, Eff. 7/31/2016)

SF Administrative Code § 106.5 ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLEMENTATION.

SEC. 106.5. ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLEMENTATION. (a) The City Administrator shall be responsible for implementing this Chapter 106. (b) The City Administrator may issue rules, regulations, and/or guidelines, applicable to all Navigation Centers, consistent with the objectives and requirements of this Chapter 106. The City Administrator or the City Administrator's designee may issue rules, regulations, and/or guidelines applicable to a specific Navigation Center, consistent with the objectives and requirements of this Chapter. (c) Consistent with Charter requirements, the City Administrator may enter into contracts or other agreements with other City departments, public agencies, and private entities, including not-for-profit organizations, to administer this Chapter 106. (d) The Controller shall track and evaluate the Navigation Centers' outcomes, including but not limited to the number of residents served by the Navigation Centers, residents' lengths of stay, residents' destinations upon exit (e.g., permanent housing, skilled nursing facility), and the number of residents receiving and retaining public assistance benefits. The Controller shall summarize these outcomes in a report to be submitted to the Board of Supervisors no later than within six months of the effective date of this Chapter 106, and every six months thereafter, until such time as the Navigation Centers are no longer in operation. Within one year of the effective date of this Chapter 106, the Controller, in consultation with the City Administrator, shall submit to the Board of Supervisors a report that describes any lessons learned from the operation of the Navigation Centers, and makes recommendations as to how and whether the Navigation Centers' approach to reducing barriers to shelter could be applied to the City's full shelter system, along with a proposed resolution to accept the report. (e) All City officers and entities shall cooperate with the City Administrator in the implementation and administration of this Chapter 106. (Added by Ord. 117-16, File No. 160278, App. 7/1/2016, Eff. 7/31/2016)

SF Administrative Code § 106.6 TRANSFER OF RESPONSIBILITIES TO A NEWLY CREATED DEPARTMENT.

SEC. 106.6. TRANSFER OF RESPONSIBILITIES TO A NEWLY CREATED DEPARTMENT. If at any time after the adoption of this Chapter 106 the City establishes a City department charged with the coordination of services and supportive housing for the homeless, all responsibilities assigned to the City Administrator under this Chapter 106 shall transfer by operation of law to the new department upon its creation. (Added by Ord. 117-16, File No. 160278, App. 7/1/2016, Eff. 7/31/2016)

SF Administrative Code § 106.7 UNDERTAKING FOR THE GENERAL WELFARE.

SEC. 106.7. UNDERTAKING FOR THE GENERAL WELFARE. In enacting and implementing this Chapter 106, the City is assuming an undertaking only to promote the general welfare. It is not assuming, nor is it imposing on its officers and employees, an obligation for breach of which it is liable in money damages to any person who claims that such breach proximately caused injury. (Added by Ord. 117-16, File No. 160278, App. 7/1/2016, Eff. 7/31/2016)

Source: City and County of San Francisco, Charter and Municipal Codes (American Legal Publishing, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/san_francisco/latest/sf_admin/0-0-0-54291Fetched: 11/1/2026