The City and County of San Francisco and FUSE are working together to close a housing gap estimated at 82,000 units, with the largest shortfall for non-affluent households. Exclusionary zoning historically pushed lower-cost housing into the eastern and southern parts of the city while the north and west stayed low density and expensive, leaving BIPOC and working families at heightened risk of displacement. The City and County has invested more than $2 billion in affordable housing over eight years, and in 2025 the Mayor signed the Family Zoning Plan to expand housing options near transit, strong schools, and parks. San Francisco has also explored innovations such as ADU streamlining, single-stair reform, and financing tools like middle-income bonds, EIFDs, and social housing.
Beginning in Fall 2026, FUSE Executive Fellow Jermaine Gause will build relationships with affordable and market-rate developers and advocacy groups, including pro-housing organizations and those serving low- and moderate-income residents, while reviewing best practices from similar cities. Gause will then identify the highest-impact workstreams and manage them from idea to implementation, which may involve convening working groups, managing consultants, gathering feedback on draft rules, and securing approval for zoning changes. By October 2027, Gause will have overseen a financial feasibility analysis of missing middle and innovative housing types, a pre-approved plan library for small multifamily buildings with family-sized units, and code changes such as single-stair reform that lower the cost of building in the north and west. Gause will also ensure knowledge transfer to Planning staff, with Year Two scope shaped by Year One progress.
