No. 9-00
WHEREAS, the Director of Health established the DPH Homeless Coordinating Committee (HCC) last Spring to look at creating an inventory of homeless programs, sharing information cross divisions, and identifying gaps in service; and,
WHEREAS, the goal of the HCC is to improve access to and the quality of the DPH homeless delivery system by better integrating and reconfiguring existing resources; and,
WHEREAS, the HCC began the process of developing an inventory of all homeless programs; and,
WHEREAS, some programs are homeless specific, while others like the Emergency Department serve a number of different populations, including homeless people; and,
WHEREAS, the City and County of San Francisco does not have a working definition of homelessness and many different definitions of homelessness exist in the system, including a Federal definition, grant driven definitions and definitions within different program areas; and,
WHEREAS, in order to create an inventory of homeless programs within DPH, the HCC had to agree internally what homelessness meant; and,
WHEREAS, the Mayor’s Homeless Office will undertake the process of developing a City and County of San Francisco definition by December 2001; and,
WHEREAS, the Department of Public Health developed a working definition of homelessness to assist in the goal of improving homeless services; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that the San Francisco Health Commission formally adopt the working definition of homelessness as the DPH definition, and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, that this definition is not meant to supercede or replace definitions of homelessness that have been set forth by funding sources, contractual agreements, or existing data collection systems; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, the DPH will work with the Mayor’s Homeless Office and other City Departments in the development of a City and County of San Francisco homeless definition and, when this definition is established, it will replace the DPH working definition.
I hereby certify that the foregoing resolution was adopted by the Health Commission at its meeting of September 5, 2000.
Sandy Ouye Mori, Executive Secretary to the Health Commission
Note: This definition is a "working" definition developed by the DPH Homeless Coordinating Committee to assist them in their goal to improve access to, and quality of, DPH services for the homeless population. It is not meant to supercede or replace definitions of homelessness that have been set forth by funding sources, contractual agreements, or existing data collection systems.
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The term "HOMELESS" includes individuals or families who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence and who have a primary nighttime residence in one ore more of the following categories: |
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Category |
Description |
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Shelter |
Anyone staying in a mission or homeless or domestic violence shelter, i.e., a supervised public or private facility that provides temporary living accommodations. |
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Street |
Anyone staying outdoors; for example, street, sidewalk, doorway, park, freeway underpass. |
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Vehicle |
Anyone staying in a car, van, bus, truck, RV, or similar vehicle. |
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Make-Shift |
Anyone staying in an enclosure or structure that is not authorized or fit for human habitation by building or housing codes, including abandoned buildings ("squats") or sub-standard apartments and dwellings. |
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Doubled-Up |
Anyone staying with friends and/or extended family members (excluding parents and children), because they are otherwise unable to obtain housing, or Any family with children staying in a Single Room Occupancy (SRO) hotel room – whether or not they have tenancy rights, or Any one staying in temporary housing for less than 6 months, and the accommodations provided the person are substandard or inadequate, for example, garage, small room, overly crowded space. |
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Transitional |
Anyone staying in a Single Room Occupancy (SRO) hotel room without tenancy rights, or Anyone formerly homeless (formerly in one of the above categories) who is now incarcerated, hospitalized, or living in a treatment program, half-way house, or Anyone formerly homeless (formerly in one of the above categories) who has obtained supportive housing or permanent housing for less than 60 days. |