After months of organizing, coalition building, and relentless advocacy both inside City Hall and across San Francisco’s housing movement, SFCLT has helped secure a major victory for affordable housing.
The proposed expansion of San Francisco’s Housing Trust Fund, led by Supervisor Myrna Melgar, includes a $70 millions
commitment dedicated to housing preservation and community ownership, providing long-overdue resources to keep hundreds of affordable homes permanently off the speculative market and in the hands of the communities that call them home.
This victory did not happen overnight.
Over the past several months, SFCLT has worked alongside tenant advocates, community organizations, affordable housing leaders, preservation practitioners, labor partners, and elected officials to build support for a bold vision: investing in the permanent preservation of affordable housing as a core strategy to address San Francisco’s housing crisis.
Together, we made the case that preservation works.
Every day, community land trusts and nonprofit housing organizations step in to protect tenants from displacement, stabilize neighborhoods, and ensure that housing remains affordable for generations. Yet for years, the demand for preservation funding has far exceeded available resources. As rents continue to rise and displacement pressures intensify, the need for meaningful public investment has never been more urgent.
The proposed Housing Trust Fund expansion changes that. The $70 million preservation commitment will allow community land trusts and nonprofit housing organizations to move quickly when buildings become available, acquire housing that would otherwise be lost to speculation, and place those homes into permanent community stewardship. This investment will help preserve hundreds of affordable homes and create lasting stability for working-class San Franciscans.
For SFCLT, this is about more than buildings.
It is about the teachers who educate our children, the caregivers who support our elders, the artists and cultural workers who make our neighborhoods vibrant, and the longtime residents who have built their lives in San Francisco. These are the people who form the fabric of our city. This investment means more families will have the opportunity not just to survive in San Francisco, but to remain rooted in the communities they helped build.
This win also demonstrates what effective advocacy looks like.
By working with community organizations, housing advocates, tenant leaders, preservation experts, and public officials around a shared vision, we were able to move a significant policy proposal from concept to reality. Through countless meetings, strategy sessions, public testimony, and coalition efforts, we built the momentum necessary to secure meaningful city support for preservation housing. We want to especially thank the Council of Community Housing Organizations (CCHO), Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California (NPH), Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF), the Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC), and many, many more for their work and partnership on this effort.
The momentum behind this victory was on full display at a recent press conference on the steps of City Hall, where SFCLT Policy and Development Director Kyle Smeallie joined elected officials, housing advocates, and community partners to celebrate the proposed expansion of the Housing Trust Fund. Standing alongside him was SFCLT resident Teresa Dulalas, whose story of fighting against eviction underscored what is at stake in the fight for housing preservation.
The work is not finished, but this moment represents one of the most significant investments in affordable housing preservation in recent years and a powerful affirmation of the work community land trusts have been doing for decades.
Together, we showed that when communities organize, advocate, and lead, we can win transformational investments that help keep San Francisco diverse, equitable, and affordable for future generations.
Take Action
The Housing Trust Fund proposal will be heard at the Rules Committee on Monday, June 22 starting at 9am.
Join SFCLT and our coalition partners by attending the hearing and speaking during public comment in support of this important proposal. Your voice can help ensure this historic investment moves forward.
For more information about how to get involved, please contact Kyle Smeallie.
Email: ksmeallie@sfclt.org