The Housing Authority of the City and County of San Francisco received the HUD directive on January 22nd. The Authority must also provide the social security numbers of those on the HUD list.
HUD cross-referenced its records with the Department of Homeland Security to develop this list of tenants. This is the first publicly established collaboration between the two Federal Agencies under the current administration.
The City was supposed to comply by February 21st, but they have not confirmed or denied if they shared the requested information, or if HUD has taken any action against the Housing Authority.
In many ways, the directive was redundant. Federal law already requires all public housing authorities to verify citizenship or immigration status when screening applicants for federally-funded rental assistance.
In a statement to KALW, Anne Stanley, a spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, which acts as a partner to the Housing Authority, affirmed San Francisco’s commitment to sanctuary policies. She stated that the City does not participate in Federal civil immigration enforcement, and that their agencies prioritize strict privacy protections and culturally competent outreach.
According to Deborah Thrope [ThROPE], Deputy Director of the National Housing Law Project, support is available.
“The number one piece of advice to give tenants who receive a notice from the Housing Authority or who aren't sure about their status with the agency: that they should absolutely seek out legal counsel, and there are a number of organizations available to speak with tenants.”
Thrope also confirmed that, so far, the status of current federal laws on housing assistance remains unchanged.
