Delivering Innovation in Supportive Housing

Delivering Innovation in Supportive Housing (DISH) strives to provide excellent property management services to help end homelessness in San Francisco. DISH, a project of the Tides Center, provides tailored property management exclusively to the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s Direct Access to Housing program. Through its work, DISH hopes to demonstrate the healing effects of home and stable community, to reinforce the self-worth of persons who have not had access to a clean, beautiful place to live, and to involve tenants in healthy and life affirming activities by drawing upon the diverse opportunities in San Francisco.

Values
– Demonstrate excellence: In our work and in our interactions.
– Stay focused: On what’s most important and within our control.
– Under-promise and over-deliver: Managing expectations along the way.
– Use initiative and innovation: Improving our services and performance.
– Be fair and consistent: Implementing our policies and procedures.
– Be mindful and prudent: With income and expenses.
– Be respectful and hopeful: With tenants, partners, coworkers, and ourselves.
– Be open: To different opinions, challenging discussions, and taking risks.

In October of 2006, DISH began providing property management services at the Pacific Bay Inn and the Empress Hotel. Effective July 1, 2007, DISH manages six residential hotels: the Camelot, the Empress, the Le Nain, the Pacific Bay Inn, the Star, and the Windsor; providing permanent supportive housing for over 450 formerly homeless adults. Some of the promising trends of the first six months of operation include:
– High level of tenant satisfaction with DISH services
– Increased job satisfaction reported by DISH staff in a survey of all employees and at staff gatherings;
– Increased focus on staff development by hosting all staff meetings that include teambuilding efforts as well as training on such topics as staff safety, reasonable accommodation, harm reduction, and staff boundaries;
– Assessment of capital improvement needs of both sites, and progress on extensive deferred maintenance at the Pacific Bay Inn; and,
-Positive feedback from DPH HUH staff and collaborators regarding team building, efficiency of meetings, cost savings, financial management, and staff performance.