The Facts

Mayor Daniel Lurie plans to appoint Michael Levine to lead the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. Levine is currently assistant secretary for MassHealth, and where he helped oversee a $23 billion program covering nearly 2 million residents of Massachusetts. He will replace Shireen McSpadden. HSH runs a $785.6 million budget.

The Context

San Francisco’s 2024 count found 8,323 people experiencing homelessness, so this is one of the mayor’s most important hires. MassHealth has backed housing-related services and built one-stop behavioral health centers for mental health and substance-use care. A UMass Chan study found one MassHealth support program cut hospitalizations by 23% and ER visits by 13%.

The GrowSF Take

A great résumé does not guarantee success in San Francisco, but it certainly helps! The city doesn't need just another shelter administrator; it needs someone who can connect homelessness policy, behavioral health, and public dollars into one accountable system. If Levine can bring that kind of results-focused management here, he may go down as Lurie's most important hires. No pressure, though, Michael!