The former director of the San Francisco Housing Authority was a “discourteous” and “unprofessional” bully, but an investigation conducted by a former city attorney found that there is insufficient evidence that Henry Alvarez committed the racial discrimination and retaliation against former employees of which he is accused in lawsuits. Read More
It is often easiest to blame a single person for a problem, but such criticism does not always resolve the underlying issue. That appears to be the case with the San Francisco Housing Authority. Read More
Although federal officials rated the San Francisco Housing Authority as “troubled” when former Executive Director Henry Alvarez exited his post, the agency actually improved during his last year on the job and might have received a passing grade if not for steep federal budget cuts. Read More
Needing ways to trim an already-taxed budget further impacted by federal funding cuts, the Housing Authority Commission voted Thursday to cut its budget for private security guards by 25 percent. Read More
The head of San Francisco’s public housing was let go Tuesday and the moment was seized upon by city officials to promise a new day for the long-beleaguered agency that houses about 41,000 people.
The six-member Housing Authority Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to terminate Henry Alvarez’s contract ahead of its June 12 end date. Alvarez, who has a salary of $210,500, had been out on medical leave since February. Read More
Aireez Taylor was talking with friends near her Bayview home Dec. 29 when two men armed with guns hopped out of a parked car, her mother recalled.
One of the girl’s friends, a 17-year-old boy who lived at the house, saw the men coming and ran for the door, taking a bullet in the foot. Fifteen-year-old Taylor fled after him and was shot seven times. Read More
By replacing the political appointees on the Housing Authority board of commissioners with city employees, Mayor Ed Lee is taking a bold step toward reforming San Francisco’s long-suffering public housing while asserting more control over the troubled quasi-federal agency. Read More
Henry Alvarez is going on medical leave starting today, the first step toward the embattled Housing Authority director’s exit.
Alvarez’s leave until March 29 was approved by Housing Authority Commission officials in a closed session Friday, according to Rose Dennis, an agency spokeswoman. Barbara Smith, a “20-something- odd-year” veteran of the department who most recently served as the authority’s modernization administrator, will step into Alvarez’s role, Dennis said. Read More
San Francisco’s experience with traditional public housing might be coming to an end, replaced by a privately funded model that other cities could follow. Read More
At Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, David Campos announced that he is asking the budget and legislative analyst to conduct a performance review of the San Francisco Housing Authority. He repeatedly stated (so you know it’s true) that “the focus is not on individuals or personalities” but “what is happening to address the needs of the residents.” Read More
