School District Housing Assistance for Teachers
Issue: Defending Workers & Families
Target Level of Office: School Board and City
Policy Name: Teacher Next Door Program
Policy Origin: San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, California
Link: www.YEONetwork.org/2013policy/?i=205
Summary Narrative of the Policy: Administered by the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community
Development (MOHCD), the Teacher Next Door (TND) Program assists teachers employed with
the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) with the purchase of their first home in San
Francisco.
Relevant Talking Points & Important Information:
• For most people, the American Dream includes owning a home; however, this dream
has eluded many because of the slow economic recovery, lower incomes, and inability
to save for down payments, especially in expensive housing markets. Programs like San
Francisco’s Teacher Next Door (TND) initiative make it easier for teachers and public
servants to afford a home, and attract new employees even in an expensive market.
• Perhaps one of the best known programs for teachers, TND is available to those
employed as full-time teachers or administrators in kindergarten through grade 12 in
public or private institutions. Furthermore, TND allows participants to buy HUG-owned
homes for as much as 50 percent of the list price if they agree to use the house as their
sole residence for at least three years.
• Applications to the Teacher Next Door loan program must:
oo Be purchasing their first home within the boundaries of the City and County of San
Francisco;
oo Be currently employed as a full time teacher or administrator with the San Francisco
Unified School District; and
oo Have a combined household income of no more than 200 percent of the average
median income for SFMSA.
oo Include a certification of California teaching credential and Letter of Employment
from SFUSD with the TND application.
• Homeowner assistance programs, which can either be government based or employer
based, have tangible and financial benefits for workers, employers, local governments,
and communities at large. Everyone wins.
• For employees relocating for employment or seeking to own a home, the grants reduce
the enormous financial burden of buying a home, especially in cities with high housing
costs. It also saves the money and stress of commuting. Cumulatively, employee work-life
balance and performance can increase and positively affect workplace productivity.
• For employers, these programs can serve as recruitment and retention tools, and cut down
on the costs of turnover. In a study by Policy Matters Ohio, 52 percent of a metropolitan
middle-income household’s income goes towards housing and transportation costs
and more than half of that is for transportation alone. In fact, an average household’s
transportation costs can be as high as $13,000 annually. Whereas in DC, employers can
expect to see as much as $10,000 annually in commuter costs.
• For the city, the program has the ability to build a stronger and more diverse tax base,
and can lead to neighborhood revitalization and downtown economic development.
Policy
2014 Book
School Board
27