Budget Committee Advances $1.15 Billion in Home Care Contracts as Fiscal Warning Signs Mount

San Francisco's Budget and Finance Committee moved more than $1.15 billion in contracts for in-home care workers through committee Wednesday, underscoring the city's growing obligations to its aging population — even as the Public Defender's emergency funding request signaled deeper budget trouble ahead.

• $991 million, five-year contract locks in health and dental benefits for 30,000 in-home care workers serving the city's rapidly growing senior population

• $158 million Homebridge contract advances despite only 54% of authorized care hours being used — committee told client refusal, not provider failure, is the primary driver

• Public Defender wins $1.5 million emergency appropriation after reporting felony caseloads up 56% and misdemeanors up 78%

• Chair Chan warns mid-year supplementals are a "not a good sign" and flags potential federal cuts from HR1

• $5 million state grant for a historic Castro LGBTQ venue delayed one week after OEWD admits it hasn't finalized grant details; chair rebukes department for bringing an unready item

Why it matters: Homebridge is the only contracted caregiving agency of its kind in California — serving roughly 1,100 of San Francisco's most vulnerable In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) recipients who cannot hire, supervise, or manage their own caregivers. Many live in permanent supportive housing, lack family support, or have long histories of homelessness.