By Lisa Awbrey, HANC Vice-President
For nearly six years, our community (comprised of local business leaders, 3 community groups, service providers for Transitional Aged Youth/TAY and unhoused people, seniors and parents of young children) has robustly participated in the plans to build 100% affordable housing at 730 Stanyan.
I cannot overstate the value (and rarity) of partnership among local residents working with their electeds and city departments to find solutions for San Francisco’s chronic problems. Neighborhood workers and residents understand our neighborhoods best and, consequently, are a critical part of local problem solving. So why then does it seem that some at City Hall and the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development/MOHCD aren’t partnering with us?
On April 4, 2023, 730 Stanyan project developers CCDC and TNDC, along with MOHCD hosted a meeting at the Park branch library. Our community was surprised and disappointed that the city had removed all previous references to a Transitional Aged Youth/TAY drop-in center from the site map, and changed the definition of ground floor commercial space use to “micro retail.” This change is contrary to previous and consistently documented information from MOHCD and the developers up to this point, as evidenced in graphics and slide shows from the many public community meetings, and as stated in financial loan documents and state applications for the project, where a drop-in center with TAY services was always represented. Another huge alteration: the original number of 30 units dedicated for TAY was decreased to 20.
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By Teresa Palmer, MD, Geriatrics/Family Practice (Attending Physician at Laguna Honda 1989-2004)
A final reprieve from closing Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Facility (LHH), our 780- bed public nursing home, was given by the federal government (CMS-Center for Medicare and Medicaid services) on May 18. This was just one day before evictions of all residents was scheduled to start.
CMS gave the reprieve reluctantly due to a serious citation (“immediate jeopardy”) that appeared after staff was supposedly trained to avoid these. (This deficiency in resident care was: having no plan for monitoring a known suicide risk.)
Evictions and closure now start Sept 19, 2023. Funding by the federal government (80% of LHH cost) stops March 19 2024. Since CMS shut down new admissions in April 2022, only about 530 residents are left at LHH. Between April and July 2022, 12 of 57 residents who were evicted died.
LHH may apply for recertification (and re-opening to admissions) as early as July of 2023. This would prevent evictions and closure. However, LHH will only be recertified if its house is in order. Delays past September are likely. Evictions may resume in the interim.
For Laguna Honda to be recertified (and to avoid closure and evictions), CMS has very detailed and strict requirements, as detailed in a May 18 letter from CMS which can be downloaded here: CMS Laguna Honda Letter.
The requirements include adequate support by the State (California Department of Public Health, along with the following:
1. A Certified Nursing Home Administrator must be hired by June 26.
2.There can be no more “immediate jeopardy” citations.
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