Housing Authority outlines owner-partnership program and owner portal to boost voucher leasing

The Housing Authority of the City and County of San Francisco on Dec. 13 presented a new Owner Partnership Program designed to expand the number of rental units available to Housing Choice Voucher holders by recruiting, educating and retaining property owners and managers.

Dijon Scott Miller (presenting management contractor) said the program will include owner workshops (at least twice annually), quarterly owner newsletters, and a new owner portal projected to go live in mid-February. The portal will let owners export rent-payment details, view inspection reports and upcoming inspections, and message authority staff directly.

The authority outlined outreach and incentive strategies: signing bonuses for owners who accept voucher holders; vacancy-loss payments up to the contract rent or payment standard; and a damage-mitigation reimbursement program capped at $3,000 for work completed by a licensed contractor. "Having this money to lean on...goes a long way for [owners]," the presenter said, explaining that owners' fear of damage to units is a significant barrier to engaging with voucher-holders.

Officials cited program scale and leasing barriers: about 8,150 voucher participants and 3,082 property owners in the program, with 216 new owners added last year. Leasing obstacles include high rents, security deposits, application fees, utility arrears and stigma toward voucher holders; the program emphasizes owner education and improved customer service to reduce those barriers.

Board members asked about timelines, oversight and whether best practices were being consulted; staff said the owner portal and an "available-unit" listing are planned for February–March and that staff will coordinate outreach with industry groups and experienced voucher administrators.

Next steps: authority staff will finalize a launch calendar, schedule soft-launch testing with owners, and share an implementation schedule and outreach plan with the commission ahead of the portal go-live.