San Francisco budget plan threatens nearly $3 million in senior services cuts

At City Hall, the services many older San Franciscans rely on to find help, stay connected and stay safe are now on the chopping block. About 200 people, many of them older adults and residents with disabilities, gathered to protest a budget plan that would cut nearly $3 million from programs tied to daily support, from case management to community connection.

The San Francisco Department of Disability and Aging Services has proposed $2.9 million in ongoing reductions to community-based organization services in fiscal years 2026-27 and 2027-28. The cuts are concentrated in Access & Empowerment, Case Management & Care Navigation, Community Connection & Engagement and Self Care & Safety, programs that advocates say help people navigate housing, healthcare and isolation before small problems become emergencies.

The department’s broader work reaches far beyond those line items. DAS helps provide food, health coverage, caregiving, legal assistance, adult protection and community activities for older adults, veterans and people with disabilities. The stakes are rising in a city where older adults already make up roughly 23% of the population and are projected to reach 30% by 2030.

Budget officials have tied the reductions to a wider fiscal squeeze. The mayor’s proposed budget for fiscal years 2025-26 and 2026-27 cited a roughly $800 million two-year deficit, and the Human Services Agency said its plan would preserve core services while still requiring ongoing reductions to meet the mayor’s target. DAS said in its February budget presentation that it expected no Dignity Fund growth funding in the budget year, pending the March forecast, a warning that underscores how little cushion remains for senior services.

The Dignity Fund itself has long been central to San Francisco’s promise to help residents age in place. Voters approved it in 2016 with 66% support as Proposition I, and city materials say it was meant to add about $3 million annually to DAS for supportive services. A 2025-26 community needs assessment found continued pressure around social isolation, housing navigation, healthcare navigation, culturally responsive services and inclusive community spaces, with community service centers emerging as especially important hubs. The assessment drew input from 6,440 survey participants, 460 forum participants, 130 focus-group participants and 65 people in a listening session.

The political fight now lands with the Board of Supervisors, which has been signaling pressure to protect services for seniors and people with disabilities as it reviews department budgets. On April 1, the Mayor’s Office on Disability moved into DAS and was renamed the San Francisco Office on Disability and Accessibility, adding another responsibility to a department already under strain. For the people who showed up at City Hall, the question is no longer abstract: which supports will disappear first, and what will San Francisco ask its oldest and most vulnerable residents to do without?