President Donald Trump and the think tank, the Cicero Institute, have long-criticized San Francisco\u2019s approach to homelessness, blaming local leaders and liberal policies for what Trump has referred to as an uptick in homelessness. The administration has attempted to redirect federal funding away from shelters and nonprofits serving homeless residents, citing that the administrations\u2019 priorities don\u2019t align<\/a> with the administration.\u00a0<\/p>\n The think tank posted on X<\/a> that Lurie\u2019s new policy is \u201cexactly what our research has advocated.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n But other advocates have argued that the new contracting system will result in cutting services to San Francisco\u2019s homeless population.\u00a0<\/p>\n A large share of homelessness service providers lie in District 10, which holds the city\u2019s highest number of homeless residents living in their vehicles.\u00a0<\/p>\n Each of the candidates running to be elected the next supervisor of the district were asked this week whether they support Lurie\u2019s new contracting system. Here is how they responded.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mission Local color codes the answers to yes\/no questions. A green background means the candidate answered yes, a red background means no, and a yellow background means that the candidate dodged the question.<\/p>\n Dion-Jay \u201cDJ\u201d Brookter<\/p>\n Job: No current job, formerly chief executive officer at Young Community Developers<\/p>\n Age: 43<\/p>\n Residency: Homeowner in Candlestick Point\/Little Hollywood area since 2021, moved to San Francisco in 2014<\/p>\n Transportation: Driving, public transit, walking<\/p>\n Education: Bachelor\u2019s degree in speech communication, Utah State University, master\u2019s degree in business administration, University of Phoenix<\/p>\n Languages: English, some Spanish<\/p>\n I support performance-based contracting because public dollars should produce measurable results. However, the City must get the implementation right. Metrics should be developed collaboratively with providers and people with lived experience, while reflecting the varying needs of those they serve.<\/p>\n The City should provide training, technical assistance, resources, and ongoing touchpoints to identify challenges and adjust in real time. If we expect higher performance standards, we must provide funding to succeed.<\/p>\n We should not incentivize providers to serve only people easiest to house while penalizing those serving people with the greatest needs. Performance-based contracting should improve services \u2014 not destabilize nonprofits.<\/p>\n Endorsed by: Supervisor Shamann Walton, Former Mayor Willie Brown, Supervisor Connie Chan, Supervisor Myrna Melgar, Former Mayor Art Agnos, Former Supervisor Sophie Maxwell, Former Supervisor Aaron Peskin, Former Supervisor Dean Preston, Former Supervisor John Avalos, read more here.<\/a><\/p>\n Theo Ellington<\/p>\n Job: Executive director, Ruth Williams Bayview Opera House. Policy director, Brownstein, public affairs director for the Golden State Warriors and the first director of homelessness initiatives and community development for The Salvation Army San Francisco.<\/p>\n Age: 37<\/p>\n Residency: Renter and former homeowner, lifelong San Franciscan and third-generation resident, born and raised in Bayview near Third and Palou streets, has lived in the Hunters Point Shipyard in District 10 since 2016<\/p>\n Transportation: Driving, public transit, walking<\/p>\n Education: Bachelor\u2019s degree in political science, Notre Dame de Namur University; master\u2019s degree in urban affairs from the University of San Francisco.<\/p>\n Languages: English<\/p>\n Solving our homelessness crisis requires accountability, and accountability is a two-way street. Yes, I support tying homeless service contracts to clear, measurable performance standards. Taxpayers deserve to know whether programs are working and people experiencing homelessness deserve services that produce real outcomes.<\/p>\n But the City must be held accountable too. That means paying providers on time, executing contracts faster, improving coordination between departments, reducing unnecessary administrative burdens, and providing capacity-building support, particularly for smaller community-based organizations. We should measure results while ensuring providers have the resources and partnerships necessary to deliver them.<\/p>\n Endorsed by: San Francisco Democratic Party, Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, State Treasurer Fiona Ma, Congressman Kevin Mullin, Former Mayor London Breed, State Senator Scott Wiener, Congresswoman Lateefah Simon, Former Mayor Willie Brown, Supervisor Matt Dorsey, read more here<\/a>. <\/p>\n J.R. Eppler<\/p>\n Job: Small business attorney<\/p>\n Age: 46<\/p>\n Residency: Homeowner, lived in San Francisco since 2007 and Potrero Hill since 2010<\/p>\n Transportation: Driving, public transit, walking, biking<\/p>\n Education: Bachelor\u2019s degree from Stanford University, law degree from University of California, Los Angeles, MBA from University of California, Los Angeles<\/p>\n Languages: English<\/p>\n I support performance-based metrics. City Hall should measure whether people escape homelessness, not merely how many people pass through a program, and hold both providers and itself accountable for the results. Public, outcome-based standards should focus on what matters: long-term housing, effective services, and lasting stability.<\/p>\n These metrics must reflect the complexity of homelessness. There\u2019s no one-size-fits-all solution because people face different causes, conditions, and barriers. The standards should be developed with experienced providers and people who have experienced homelessness. The goal is not just better-looking numbers. It is helping more people leave homelessness for good.<\/p>\n Endorsed by:\u00a0Harvey Milk Democratic Club, SF League of Pissed Off Voters, United Educators of San Francisco, California Working Families Party, read more\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n This electoral season, Mission Local made the decision to only include the answers of candidates who have won a major endorsement or have publicly reported campaign contributions. That narrows down the candidates from 10 to three: Theo Ellington, Dion-Jay Brookter, and J.R. Eppler. Candidates may be added to this series if they later meet this criteria.<\/p>\n Answers may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, grammar, and to meet the word limit requirement. Do you have questions you\u2019d like to ask the candidates? Email marina@missionlocal.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Illustration](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/DJ-Yes-.png\")
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