SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — SF Mayor Edwin M. Lee on Firday appointed Bevan Dufty as the Mayor’s new Director of Housing Opportunity, Partnerships and Engagement (HOPE), addressing homeless services and better outcomes for individuals who are homeless or live in supportive housing.
“Bevan shares my commitment to making a real difference in people’s lives and tackling the very real problem of homelessness in our City,” said Mayor Lee. “You have to give people hope, and I look forward to working with Bevan who will bring his energy and experience and his vast network of relationships to champion our efforts to combat homelessness.”
Bevan Dufty has more than 18 years of public service to the City and County of San Francisco, including five years as the City’s Director of Neighborhood Services and eight years on the Board of Supervisors. As Director of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services for Mayor Willie L. Brown, Jr., Dufty helped neighborhood residents and merchants connect with City employees from every department to address issues of homelessness, public safety, housing, employment, traffic, pedestrian safety, and youth issues.
Dufty was twice elected to represent District Eight on the Board of Supervisors beginning in 2002. The same seat was once held by Harvey Milk. As Supervisor, Dufty demonstrated how local government can change lives tangibly by honoring the public trust, responding to community concerns and respecting differing viewpoints.
Dufty has worked hard to address homelessness, strongly supporting Care Not Cash and Mayor Newsom’s Housing First approach that dramatically expanded supportive housing. He helped to establish the Castro Young Adult Housing Collaborative for 22 homeless youth, funding neighborhood-based homeless outreach/case management teams, establishing case managers at the Main Library, and secured Board approval for the highly successful Community Justice Center. He has been focused on prevention for our transitional youth, chronically homeless and restructuring the courts approach to habitual offenders.
Dufty holds a degree in Political Science and Journalism from the University of California, Berkeley. After graduation, he served as Senior Legislative Assistant for Education to U.S. Representative Shirley Chisholm of New York and served as Chief Legislative Assistant to U.S. Representative Julian Dixon of Los Angeles. Dufty has also served as Chief-of-Staff to former Supervisor Susan Leal.
