Frequently Asked Questions

When pre-applications become available, you may apply through the portal on The Sophie Maxwell Building website. Applicants will be asked to provide personal information, household information, and income information at this stage. Once they submit their pre-application, applicants will be entered in the lottery and will be assigned their lottery rank. Full applications will be required after the lottery.

To apply, please follow the link in the header of this website.

Update: The waitlist reopens for select units on Wednesday, April 8, 2026. Applications will be processed in the order they are received, subject to apartment availability.

Lottery Process: Pre-applications are collected directly through the portal on The Sophie Maxwell Building website. All applicants who submit complete pre-applications will be entered into an electronic lottery to determine their lottery rank. The lottery rankings are then filtered by AMI and unit type. The lottery will be conducted by a third-party vendor and not through the City of San Francisco’s DAHLIA lottery process.

Income Eligibility Qualification Process: Income eligibility qualification consists of the property manager’s review of income-related documents provided by applicants and documents obtained by the property manager’s third-party verification process. Applicants complete a packet of required forms documenting sources and amounts of current and anticipated income; provide copies of documents (paystubs, taxes, bank statements, award letters, etc.) to support the sources and amounts of current and anticipated income; and sign a release permitting the property manager to verify the sources and amounts of current and anticipated income. After the property manager’s review of documents provided by applicants and documents obtained by the third-party verification process, a calculation test is performed to determine if the household income meets the income restrictions of the property or unit.

Waitlist Management: After the lottery, applicants are processed in order of their lottery rank for each of the AMI and unit type categories. Once all units for an AMI and unit type category are filled, the remaining applicants for that category will be placed on the property’s waitlist (in order of lottery rank) to fill future vacancies. Applications received after the lottery will be added to the waitlist in the order they are received (i.e. on a first-come, first-serve basis) while the waitlist is open. The property manager will usually reach out to each of the applicants on the wait list at least once per year to ensure continued interest in the property and the most up-to-date information (contact and income related) for selection of future vacancies.

Update: The waitlist reopens for select units on Wednesday, April 8, 2026. Applications will be processed in the order they are received, subject to apartment availability.

The affordability levels were determined based on various regulatory requirements, including those set by the California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA). All units are deed-restricted affordable for the life of the building.

The Sophie Maxwell Building has 105 units with unit types as follows:

• HPP units: 6 total

  • These units are set aside for the Homeless Prenatal Program (HPP) and will not be included in the lottery. To learn more about HPP, please visit https://homelessprenatal.org

• Lottery: 98 total

  • 68 - Studio, One Bathroom

  • 18 - One Bedroom, One Bathroom

  • 12 - Two Bedrooms, One Bathroom

  • Lottery configuration subject to change

• Manager’s unit: 1 total

• Studio: minimum 1, maximum 2

• One Bedroom: minimum 1, maximum 3

• Two Bedrooms: minimum 2, maximum 5

The property manager’s staff will be available in person and via phone to assist with the application process. In addition, the property manager’s staff will host office hours during the lottery pre-application period at the following locations. All are welcome and encouraged to attend. Dates subject to change.

Monday, September 29, 2025 at 11:30am – 6pm

Bayview Hunters Point YMCA

1601 Lane Street, San Francisco

Thursday, October 2, 2025 at 11:30am – 6pm

Bayview Senior Services

5600 3rd Street, San Francisco

Monday, October 6, 2025 at 11:30am – 6pm

Bayview Hunters Point YMCA

1601 Lane Street, San Francisco

Wednesday, October 8, 2025 at 11:30am – 6pm

The Dogpatch Hub

1278 Minnesota Street, San Francisco

We will begin accepting lottery pre-applications online through a portal on The Sophie Maxwell Building website starting Monday, September 29, 2025 and ending Friday, October 10, 2025. All applications received during the pre-application period will be entered into a random lottery to determine lottery rank on the building waitlist. Applications received after the October 10 deadline will be placed on the waitlist in the order they are received (i.e. on a first-come, first-serve basis) while the waitlist is open.  Dates subject to change.

Update: The waitlist reopens for select units on Wednesday, April 8, 2026. Applications will be processed in the order they are received, subject to apartment availability.

The lottery will be conducted on or around Monday, October 13, 2025. The lottery results will be communicated on or around Tuesday, October 14, 2025.

All applicants who are denied will be notified of the determination, the reasons for the determination and the right to appeal the determination. Appeals must be received within 14 days from the date the determination notification was sent. Units will not be held during the appeals process.

The first step should be an informal discussion between you and the property manager. Grievances can be submitted in writing or orally and must be received within ten (10) working days following the incident or action upon which the grievance is based. An informal review will be held within five (5) working days. You will be notified of a decision within 14 working days. If you are not satisfied with the result of the informal review, you may submit a written request for a formal review within five (5) working days after notification of the outcome of the informal review. Requests for formal review should be submitted to formalreview.sf@jsco.net.