Breaking the Cycle of Homelessness with Kunal Modi

Описание: When Mayor Lurie took office, San Francisco was spending nearly $1 Billion a year responding to homelessness, yet the number of people living unsheltered had not budged in years. In this episode, Kunal Modi, the city’s Chief of Health and Human Services, shares how the Lurie administration is tackling the intersecting homelessness, mental health and addiction crises. Rather than layering on new programs, the city is attempting something harder: redesigning how fragmented systems work together.


Kunal and Claudia discuss:

1. The city’s move to unify fragmented and siloed outreach teams
2. The importance of shifting accountability and decision-making to the front lines
3. How San Francisco’s strategy is leveraging the community supports in CalAIM
4. Why solutions need to reflect the intersecting nature of the homeless problem


Kunal reminds us that ending the cycle of homelessness is far more complicated than just finding housing:


“This is more than a homelessness crisis, it's an intersecting homelessness, behavioral health, and drug addiction crisis that we need to bring our healthcare system and our social service system in closer alignment… We need to reorient our Public Health strategies to not only support those in crisis, but to think about the broader communities and neighborhoods.”


Relevant Links

1. See Mayor Lurie’s thoughts on the “Breaking the Cycle” (https://www.sf.gov/news-mayor-lurie-u...) initiative
2. Get more information on the City’s new RV parking restrictions (https://www.sf.gov/vehicular-homeless...)
3. Read the Crankstart report (https://streetstostability.com/tomorrow) on tackling homelessness in San Francisco


About Our Guest


Kunal Modi is the policy chief of health, homelessness, and family services in San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie’s administration. In this role, he coordinates eight agencies, including the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, the Department of Children, Youth and Families and the Department of Early Childhood, while also serving as liaison to San Francisco Unified School District and City College. He brings extensive experience in cross-agency collaboration and reform, aiming to deliver compassionate, effective solutions for the city’s most pressing health, housing, and family needs. Before joining City Hall, he spent over 11 years as a partner at McKinsey & Company’s Bay Area office and previously served on the boards of Larkin Street Youth Services and St. Anthony’s Foundation. His educational background includes an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, an M.P.P. from Harvard Kennedy School, and a B.A. from Northwestern University.


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