San Francisco, CA—San Franciscans for Social Housing today announced its strong support for the newly unveiled San Francisco Affordable Housing Guarantee Act (AHGA), a citizen-led ballot measure designed to dedicate revenue from Proposition I to the production, preservation, and stabilization of affordable housing across the city. This vital revenue stream for housing will further strengthen the pathway for establishing a robust dedicated fund for the city’s existing Social Housing Program.
The measure reflects growing alignment among housing advocates around the need to ensure that funds generated from high-value real estate transactions are consistently directed toward addressing San Francisco's housing crisis. Since its passage in 2020, Proposition I has generated significant revenue, but without a dedicated mandate, those funds have not always been used for housing.
Over the past year, San Franciscans for Social Housing has worked to build public awareness around the concept of social housing and the importance of dedicated, reliable funding. Through grassroots outreach efforts across the city, including a widely visible flyering campaign, the organization has helped elevate the conversation around how San Francisco can move beyond fragmented, one-off housing solutions toward a more durable, system-level approach.
"As social housing advocates, we're encouraged to see a proposal that brings clarity and accountability to how these resources are used," said Honest Charley Bodkin of San Franciscans for Social Housing. "We have long called for Proposition I funds to be invested in housing as intended, and the Affordable Housing Guarantee Act represents an important step in that direction."
"This measure is especially important because it creates a reliable foundation for expanding social housing in San Francisco," said Dylan Hirsch-Shell. "By dedicating Proposition I revenue to housing, we can move beyond one-off projects and start building a system that delivers permanently affordable, mixed-income housing at scale."
The AHGA would establish a reliable funding stream for affordable housing by dedicating Proposition I revenues to new construction, acquisition and preservation of existing housing, and tenant stability programs aimed at preventing displacement and homelessness. The measure also incorporates provisions responsive to concerns about housing production, reflecting extensive input from stakeholders across the housing ecosystem.
At a time when housing construction has slowed and thousands of approved affordable units remain in the pipeline awaiting subsidy, advocates say dedicated funding is essential to unlocking stalled projects and meeting the city's long-term housing goals.
"San Francisco cannot afford to leave housing funding to uncertainty," Bodkin added. "This measure helps ensure that when resources are generated to address the housing crisis, they are used for that purpose."
San Franciscans for Social Housing also announced plans to mobilize its volunteer network across the city to support the effort to qualify the measure for the November ballot and build public support in the months ahead.
"We're ready to do our part to help bring this measure to voters and secure the dedicated funding our city needs to build and preserve affordable housing at scale," Bodkin said.