The City and County of San Francisco and FUSE are working together to help the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) realign its internal operations to match the scale of its mission. Created in 2016 by bringing programs from several City departments into one system, HSH has grown significantly in funding and in its portfolio of housing and services, but staffing and structures haven’t kept pace. Newer or evolving functions, including Planning, Performance, and Strategy; Compliance, Capacity Building, and Equity; and a planned Director of Strategic Initiatives role, provide an opportunity to clarify how these teams support Programs in delivering core services. With budget pressures likely to affect staffing and program ownership, HSH needs an operating model that is clear, sustainable, and adaptable.
Beginning in Fall 2026, FUSE Executive Fellow Amanda Pegues will lead a 90-day listening tour across Planning and Strategy, Programs, Compliance, and other divisions, reviewing the strategic plan, organizational documents, and existing tools, and studying peer agencies. Pegues will then map core workflows and handoffs, clarify ownership of key functions, establish decision-making and accountability structures, and build standardized tools such as project management frameworks and communication protocols. Recommendations will distinguish between near-term fixes that fit current resources and longer-term changes that require more capacity, and the Fellow will pilot improvements with staff before rolling them out. By Fall 2027, deliverables will include an internal operating model, a full review and refresh of departmental tools, a change management plan, piloted workflow improvements, and a performance and evaluation framework, with Year Two scope defined from there.