Access
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Provenance
Separated Materials
Related Materials
Processing Information
Historical Note
Scope and Contents
Organization
Arrangement
Title: San Francisco Human Services Agency Records,
Date (inclusive): 1919-2016
Date (bulk): 1937-2000
Identifier/Call Number: SFH 743
Creator:
San Francisco (Calif.). Department of Human
Services.
Creator:
San Francisco (Calif.). Human Services
Agency.
Physical Description:
57 cartons, 1 pamphlet box, 1 oversized flat box
(57.75 cubic feet)
Contributing Institution:
San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library
100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 557-4562
sfhistory@sfpl.org
Abstract: This collection documents the San
Francisco Human Services Agency's history through materials prepared for the Human Services
Commission. Included are commission agendas and minutes, correspondence, memoranda, reports,
and budgets.
Physical Location: The collection is stored off site and
requires a minimum of 2 working days' advance notice for use.
Language of Material: Collection materials are in
English.
Access
The collection is available for use during San Francisco History Center hours. Collections
that are stored off site should be requested 48 hours in advance. The San Francisco Human
Services Agency requires researchers agree in writing to not disclose in any form the
personally identifying information of HSA clients.
THIS FORM MUST BE COMPLETED TO USE THE COLLECTION.
Publication Rights
Researchers must agree in writing to not disclose in any form the personally identifying
information of HSA clients. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts
must be submitted in writing to the City Archivist. Additionally, the San Francisco Human
Services Agency requires researchers who publish findings based on this collection include
the following: "The archives of the San Francisco Human Services Agency have been made
available for the purpose of historical research. The views contained in this publication
represent the conclusions of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the
San Francisco Human Services Agency nor the City and County of San Francisco."
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], San Francisco Human Services Agency Records (SFH 743), San
Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library.
Provenance
Transferred to the San Francisco Public Library from the San Francisco Human Services
Agency in August of 2023.
Separated Materials
Annual Reports of the Department of Social Services for 1969-1970, 1981-1982, and 1992-1993
were added to the library's catalog.
Related Materials
Researchers are encouraged to consult the San Francisco Public Library's catalog for
additional materials related to the San Francisco Human Services Agency. The organization's
annual reports and other materials can be found using HSA's historical names: Widows'
Pension Bureau, County Welfare Department, Public Welfare Department, Department of Social
Services, Department of Human Services, and Human Services Agency. Cataloged records of
programs and departments include Family and Children's Services, Department of Aging and
Adult Services, County Adult Assistance Program, and In-Home Supportive Services.
Researchers can find additional records for the Citizens' Emergency Relief Committee in
another archival collection: San Francisco Office of the Controller Unemployment Relief
Program Minutes and Reports (SFH 67).
Processing Information
Processed by intern Daniel Kelly in 2023.
Historical Note
The San Francisco Human Services Agency (HSA) began in 1913 as the Widows' Pension Bureau,
providing cash assistance to widowed mothers. Over the decades, the agency added programs,
merged with other city departments, and changed its name several times. During the Great
Depression, the City and County of San Francisco formed the Citizen's Emergency Relief
Committee to distribute state funds for unemployed persons. When the 1935 Social Security
Act passed, federalizing most welfare programs, the Emergency Relief Committee and the
County Welfare Department merged. A commission was formed to oversee the new department. The
organization has been known as the Widows' Pension Bureau (1913-1929), County Welfare
Department (1930-1936), Public Welfare Department (1937-1965), the Department of Social
Services (1965-1985), the Department of Human Services (1985-2004), and the Human Services
Agency (2004 to present). In 2004 the Department of Human Services merged with the
Department of Aging and Adult Services.
Throughout its life, HSA has added programs and services to meet the changing needs of
low-income and vulnerable San Franciscans. For example, during WWII it provided childcare
assistance to mothers working in the shipyards, and it helped with the resettlement of war
refugees. In 1947 it assumed responsibility for child welfare services including foster
care. In the 1950s, the agency launched the In-Home Supportive Services program, providing
attendant care to thousands of low-income seniors and persons with disabilities.
When the federal Medicaid health insurance program was created in 1965, the department
began managing enrollment for the state's version of the program, Medi-Cal. In 1977 HSA
began administering the federal food stamp program. It has long overseen the General
Assistance program for indigent single adults, and until 2016 it was the primary city
department providing shelter and housing assistance to homeless persons.
The Widows' Pension Bureau of a century ago is today's CalWORKs program, offering not only
cash benefits but also childcare and employment assistance to low-income families. Starting
in the 1980s, the agency relied increasingly on partnerships with nonprofit agencies,
eventually overseeing more than 200 contracts. As of 2023, HSA was providing support to
almost one in three San Franciscans.
Additional information about the agency's history can be found in a 2016 newsletter
contained in the Statistics, Reports, and Newsletters series.
Scope and Contents
This collection documents the history of the San Francisco Human Services Agency (HSA),
largely through materials prepared for the Human Services Commission. While there are
budgets from the agency's early years and a few materials from the Citizens' Emergency
Committee, the bulk of the collection consists of commission records between 1937 and 2000.
Included are agendas and minutes from monthly commission meetings, as well as the memoranda,
reports, budgets, and correspondence submitted as background materials to the
commissioners.
Major subject areas include poverty, homelessness, families, children, seniors,
disabilities, refugees, foster care, and childcare. Major programs include food stamps, Aid
to Families with Dependent Children, CalWORKs, Medi-Cal, General Assistance, child welfare,
and employment assistance.
Organization
Organized into six series: Series 1: Widows' Pension Bureau Budgets; Series 2: County
Welfare Department Budgets; Series 3: Commission Correspondence; Series 4: Commission
Minutes; Series 5: Statistics, Reports, and Newsletters; and Series 6: Advisory
Committees.
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically within series.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
At-risk youth -- Services for -- California -- San Francisco.
Homeless families -- Services for -- California -- San
Francisco.
Homeless persons -- Services for -- California -- San
Francisco.
Occupational training -- California -- San Francisco.
People with disabilities -- Services for -- California -- San
Francisco.
Public welfare -- California -- San Francisco -- Statistics.
Social Service -- California -- San Francisco.
San Francisco (Calif.). Department of Human Services. --
Archives.
San Francisco (Calif.). Human Services Agency. --
Archives.