SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Against the backdrop of rising housing costs and growing fears about federal cuts to vital programs, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) joined San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie on Thursday to tour the Dr. George W. Davis Senior Center, a flagship affordable housing facility for low-income seniors, to highlight ongoing efforts to address California’s housing and homelessness crises.
The visit came as the Trump administration continues advancing proposals to slash federal housing assistance, reduce HUD staffing nationwide, and potentially close San Francisco’s regional HUD field office—moves that Padilla warned could have devastating consequences for vulnerable populations already struggling to stay housed.
Speaking after the tour, Padilla sharply criticized the Trump administration’s threats to Social Security, Medicaid, and federal housing support, calling them “an attack on seniors at a time when costs are rising across the board.”
“Senior citizens are the fastest growing population when it comes to those now experiencing homelessness,” Padilla said. “If you look at what announcements and attacks and threats we are hearing about at a national level, seniors are getting pummeled—not only because the cost of everything is going up, but because of threats to cut the very lifelines they depend on.”
Padilla warned that rising costs of groceries, housing materials, and healthcare — compounded by proposed tariffs — are putting additional pressure on senior citizens, who often live on fixed incomes.
“As we were walking through the rooms and speaking with residents, so many of them expressed fear about what will happen to their Social Security,” Padilla said. “And rightly so. Because Social Security isn’t a handout — it’s a promise. People pay into Social Security their entire careers. It’s the government’s responsibility to keep that promise.”
Housing for All: A Federal Solution
The event also gave Padilla the opportunity to spotlight his Housing for All Act, a sweeping legislative proposal that would dramatically expand federal investment in affordable housing, permanent supportive housing, and emergency shelters.
Padilla’s bill aims to address the affordable housing shortage and homelessness crisis head-on, proposing historic levels of funding for local governments and nonprofits that are already pioneering effective solutions.
“We’re not here just to oppose bad proposals coming out of the White House,” Padilla said. “We actually have a positive, proactive agenda — solutions that invest in affordable housing with the urgency and the scale this crisis demands, here in San Francisco, throughout California, and across the country.”
The Housing for All Act would invest in proven strategies such as expanding rental assistance programs, funding the construction of affordable and supportive housing units, and strengthening services for populations most vulnerable to homelessness, including seniors, veterans, and individuals with disabilities.
Padilla emphasized that solving the homelessness crisis requires partnership at every level of government: “We need to be providing more vouchers, not fewer. We need to be investing more, not less. And we need a federal partner willing to match the innovation and commitment we see at the local level.”
Mayor Lurie’s Local Efforts: Building for the Next Generation
Joining Padilla, Mayor Daniel Lurie highlighted San Francisco’s local initiatives to combat housing challenges, including Family Zoning, a plan to prioritize multi-bedroom housing development to help families stay in the city, and PermitSF, an overhaul of the city’s permitting process designed to accelerate housing construction.
“Here in San Francisco, we have to meet our housing challenges head-on,” Lurie said. “We’re doing our part with initiatives like Family Zoning to keep the next generation in the city, and PermitSF to speed up housing approvals and get more homes built faster.”
Lurie thanked Padilla for bringing federal attention to the issue, stressing that local solutions alone cannot meet the scale of the crisis.
“Thank you to Senator Padilla for visiting our city, touring the Dr. George W. Davis Senior Center, and championing solutions like the Housing for All Act,” Lurie said. “Addressing homelessness and affordability will take bold action at every level.”
The Dr. George W. Davis Senior Center, operated by the nonprofit Bayview Hunters Point Multipurpose Senior Services, provides housing, meals, healthcare services, and community programming for over 120 low-income seniors—many of whom would otherwise be at risk of homelessness.
A Broader Fight Against Federal Cuts
Padilla’s visit comes as he ramps up efforts to protect vulnerable communities from sweeping federal cuts proposed by the Trump administration.
Earlier this year, Padilla and U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver II (D-Mo.) led a coalition of over 100 Democratic lawmakers in opposing proposed staffing reductions at HUD that could shutter field offices across the country, including San Francisco’s. Padilla warned that such cuts would cripple HUD’s ability to assist low-income tenants, manage housing programs, and support communities already grappling with homelessness.
Padilla has also introduced several bipartisan bills this year aimed at expanding housing access for particularly vulnerable groups, including the Housing Unhoused Disabled Veterans Act to ensure disabled veterans experiencing homelessness maintain access to crucial housing support, and the Disaster Housing Reform for American Families Act to improve temporary housing options for disaster victims.
“Defunding HUD at a time of skyrocketing homelessness is irresponsible and cruel,” Padilla said. “We should be expanding support, not gutting it.”
A Growing Sense of Urgency
Thursday’s event at the Senior Center underscored the growing urgency among California leaders to push back against federal cuts while advancing bold local solutions.
“Seniors, working families, and veterans should not have to live in fear of losing their homes or benefits,” Padilla said. “We know what works: building more affordable housing, expanding vouchers, investing in wraparound services. Now we need to match the scale of our solutions to the scale of the problem.”
Padilla concluded by reaffirming his commitment to protecting and expanding affordable housing as a core part of his agenda.
“We’re fighting for the future of our communities,” he said. “And I’m committed to making sure no senior, no veteran, no family is left behind.”
