98,341 / 48.07% Yes votes ...... 106,257 / 51.93% No votes

See Also: Index of all Measures

The Proposal:
Proposition O is an ordinance that would require the City to develop, within two years, 1000 housing units for homeless individuals; drug and alcohol treatment services for at least 700 individuals a year; and plans for reducing the waiting lists for other services. At least half of the housing units would be designed to care for the mentally disabled.

Proposition O would require the City to meet certain conditions before it could count housing, shelter and meal services provided to qualified homeless individuals as part of their cash benefit. The Controller would have to certify that the City had enough housing or shelter to provide these services instead of cash payments. In addition, the City could count no more than 180 days in a shelter as part of the cash benefit to a homeless individual. In general, after 180 days in a shelter, the City would have to offer housing. If housing were not available, the individual would receive cash for the value of housing services.

Under Proposition O, individuals who break housing or shelter rules would not be entitled to housing services but could continue to receive shelter services and some cash benefits. The City would have to set uniform procedures to be followed when individuals violate the rules of housing, shelter or drug treatment programs. This ordinance would set a minimum funding level for future homeless programs based on what it spends for cash and services in Fiscal Year 2002-3. The City would use this money to provide a range of homeless services, including housing, shelter and meals, or for cash payments to homeless individuals.

The ordinance specifies that the City will provide 1,000 units of housing, and drug treatment sufficient to treat 700 people annually. The City would also be required to continue to provide cash grants for individuals in the County Adult Assistance Programs (CAAP) to whom the city is unable to provide housing or who are exempted from certain shelter stay requirements. The estimated cost of these programs includes $17.8 million for leasing and operating housing units, $6.2 million for drug treatment, and $.5 million for other costs and grant payments. Should the city acquire rather than lease housing units, the cost of the proposal could increase, however, funds for affordable housing development could also be used to cover a portion of the acquisition costs. Client rents, and state and federal funds for public assistance may also cover a portion of the costs of these programs.

There would be one-time costs in an estimated amount between $1 and $2 million to develop information systems for tracking shelter stays and linking shelter information to aid received by individuals in the CAAP programs, and for other start-up costs.

Finally, the ordinance calls for the City to submit plans to reduce waiting lists for a variety of housing and housing assistance programs. In and of itself, this requirement would not increase the cost of government. However, should the City choose to implement new plans to reduce waiting lists, costs would likely increase at that time.

Meaning of Voting Yes/No

A YES vote of this measure means:

If you vote "Yes," you want to make these changes to the way the City provides assistance to qualified homeless individuals.

A NO vote of this measure means:

If you vote "No," you do not want to make these changes to the way the City provides assistance to qualified homeless individuals.

City & County of San Francisco

• Televised Ballot Measure Discussions: - Check the SFGTV Cable Channel 26 Schedule for rebroadcasts.

How to Evaluate the Propositions

Decide for yourself

KQED-FM San Francisco Public Radio 88.5

• Roundtable with Steve Fields and Mike De Nunzio - 1 hour Forum broadcast on 10/25/02 (opens in new window)

• S.F. Homeless Crisis Spills onto Ballot - 9/22/02
• Homelessness, City-Grown Marijuana 11/01/02

• Two S.F. measures target the homeless - San Diego-Union Tribune-11/01/002