Published February 26, 2025
AHSC Commitment Letter: 1051 Mission Affordable
Background
Applicants can receive up to four points for implementing at least one new or expanded AntiDisplacement (AD) activity from the list below. To receive points in this section, the following commitment letter must be filled out completely.
Eligible AD strategies include the following activities:
A. Affordable Housing Development (AHD) nonprofit Developer or Locality applying to AHSC have provided Mortgage Assistance Loans to qualified First-Time Homebuyers for two years within last 10 years.
B. An independent nonprofit and/or Locality developing a Community-Driven, NeighborhoodScale AD Plan.
C. An independent nonprofit and/or Locality developing or implementing a pipeline or training programs that will build capacity for local affordable housing developers.
D. An independent nonprofit and/or Locality developing or implementing a process for data collection, monitoring, and tracking systems related to the causes of displacement (e.g., rental property registry, inventory of at-risk units, landlord licensing, local eviction tracking, a speculation watchlist, or tracking the loss and formation of culturally-relevant and community-serving small businesses).
E. An independent nonprofit and/or Locality developing or implementing foreclosure or eviction prevention and landlord anti-harassment programs. If proposed program includes tenant legal counseling services, the services cannot be provided by the Developer, building manager, or related entity.
F. An independent nonprofit and/or Locality developing, administering, or implementing rental assistance or voucher programs to residents of the Project Area who are not the residents of the AHD.
G. An independent nonprofit and/or Locality developing or implementing a Small/Family Business Protection Program for community businesses in the Project Area.
H. An independent nonprofit and/or Locality developing or operating a Community Land Trust or Land Banking activities.
I. An independent nonprofit and/or Locality developing or implementing programs that provide subsidized work to weatherize or repair existing Low-Income Households to increase energy efficiency and/or air quality in the Project Area.
J. An independent nonprofit and/or Locality implementing a policy or action identified in a previously published Anti-Displacement Plan that is not listed above. Applicants should reference a specifically outlined goal, strategy, or action from the plan.
Published February 26, 2025
Instructions
Complete this form for the Anti-Displacement (AD) Strategy for which you are seeking points. Each question is required to be considered. “N/A” is not a complete answer for any question and is subject to disqualification.
1. Please identify the AD strategy you are proposing based on the list above (e.g. Strategy C) and provide a brief description of the proposed program and planned activities as it relates to the selected strategy.
The proposed Anti-Displacement Strategy is “F) An independent nonprofit and/or Locality developing, administering, or implementing rental assistance or voucher programs to residents of the Project Area who are not the residents of the AHD.” The City of South San Francisco will contract with the YMCA Community Resource Center to process applications for the City’s Rental Assistance Program. The program will provide one-time assistance to households that have fallen behind on rent or need security deposit assistance to move into a new apartment. YMCA intakes applications and recommends qualified households for the program. Once approved by YMCA, a payment request is sent to the City. The City processes these payment requests and issues payment directly to the landlords of the affected tenants.
2. Does the nonprofit/AD strategy provider have a recent history in the Project Area? Please provide a brief description of the role they have played and/or currently play in the Project Area. (Minimum 25 words; maximum 200 words)
The City is currently in contract with the YMCA for the City’s Rental Assistance Program and has been since February 2020. To date, the City has spent approximately $1,000,000 on this effort and generally allocates $150,000 annually in City funds to the program. The program operates throughout the entirety of the City of South San Francisco and includes the Project Area as depicted by the map below. Also provided is a chart depicting how past funding has been allocated in each Council District since the program’s start.
Published February 26, 2025
3. Is this AD strategy a new program or an expansion of a currently existing program to serve new populations or offer new program service and implementation (Section 111(QPS)(d))? Please also provide the current status of work of this AD strategy in the Project Area or in the region more broadly. (Minimum 10 words; maximum 100 words.) Published February 26, 2025
Note: If pursuing selected Strategy (A), you do not need to address whether the AD strategy is a new program or program expansion.
This AD strategy is an expansion of a currently existing program to serve new populations. The City of South San Francisco has operated this program since February 2020. The program is currently funded through the end of calendar year 2025. This funding request is to continue the program through end of calendar year 2026. Staff anticipate City Council support for continuing the program given the ongoing need.
4. In what ways will you measure and track success in the implementation of the AD strategy? Please list at least two calculable/numeric metrics. If the program uses an established tracking system, please give examples of at least two metrics the system tracks. (Minimum 10 words; maximum 100 words)
The City will track the spending of all funds annually, including the number of program participants and the average fund request, to understand both the need in the community and the potential displacements that the program helps to prevent. The City will track rental assistance across the five City Council districts and compare the program utilization to relative portion of renter households in each district to ensure funds are geographically disbursed.
5. Why was this strategy determined to be the best for this Project Area? What alternatives were considered? In your explanation, use the AHSC AD Tool, the jurisdiction’s housing element, supplemental research, community feedback, or other existing documents. (Minimum 20 words; maximum 200 words)
The City began its Rental Assistance Program prior to the COVID pandemic and has continued to operate it as State and Federal sources of funding for rental assistance have been spent down. This Rental Assistance Program provides critical homelessness prevention funding and meets the City’s displacement prevention goals as outlined in its approved Housing Element. This program is an important strategy to prevent homelessness in South San Francisco and is much less costly than re-housing a household which has lost housing.
6. Please fill out the following scope of work. Be detailed. Projects that state “direct costs” and “indirect costs” as their only milestones/deliverables will be disqualified from consideration for anti-displacement points. All fields per deliverable/milestone are required. “N/A” is not a complete answer for any field and is subject to disqualification. Make sure that the scope of work listed here does not contradict the AD Activity budget in the "PGM S&U Budget” tab of the application workbook. See example at the end of this document for guidance (Appendix A, page 4).
Note: If you selected Strategy (A), you do not need to fill out the scope of work template below. Instead, please provide a detailed description of the activities and main deliverables Published February 26, 2025
of the implemented first-time homebuyer mortgage assistance program. Please note the other leveraged sources and any milestones attached to those sources, if still in progress. (Minimum 25 words; maximum 200 words)
No. Activity
Deliverable/
Milestone
Task Details Estimated
Start Date
Estimated
Completion
Date
Estimated
Hours to
Complete
Task
Budget
1 Program
Administrati
on
Administrator paid
18% of direct
assistance to market
the program, receive
applications, qualify
applicants, and
submit payment
requests to the City.
Administration Fee
paid to YMCA by the
City. Not included in
AHSC funding
request.
01/01/2026 12/31/2026 N/A $27,000
2 Direct
Assistance
Direct emergency
rental assistance to
prevent eviction and
displacement.
Assistance is
available citywide to
households earning
80% or less of the
Area Median Income.
Program recipients
are qualified by the
YMCA, payment
requests are
submitted to the City,
and the City pays the
landlord directly on
behalf of the tenant.
Direct assistance
paid by the AHSC
grant.
01/01/2026 12/31/2026 N/A $150,000
Total -- -- -- $177,000
Published February 26, 2025
Please provide digital signatures for all implementing parties, including the primary developer and AD strategy provider.
Signature: __________________________________
Name (Printed): Sierra Atilano
Title: BRIDGE Housing, AHD Project Developer
Signature: _______________________________
Name (Printed): Sharon K Ranals
Title: City Manager, City of South San Francisco
Signature: __________________________________
Name (Printed): _____________________________
Title: YMCA Community Resource Center, Additional Implementing Party