City and County of San Francisco / Homelessness Services / Program Specialist

Job-title file

Program Specialist

Coordinate and deliver a specific program area, supporting planning, outreach, and daily operations.

3 employees hold this title in Homelessness Services. Median total compensation for the role is $171,341, below the department median of $188,718.

Employees: 3
Total payroll: $514.8K
Role median: $171,341
Agency median: $188,718
Comparison: Below

Compare departments

This role across City and County of San Francisco

Program Specialist is held in 2 City and County of San Francisco departments. In Homelessness Services, the median of $171,341 ranks #1 of 2.

Highest-paying departments for this role

Human Services Agency

$169,827 · 133

Median total compensation for the Program Specialist role in other City and County of San Franciscodepartments (highest first). Each bar links to that department’s page for this role.

Compare jurisdictions

Program Specialist beyond City and County of San Francisco

This role is reported in 10 jurisdictions. In City and County of San Francisco, the median of $169,861 ranks #1 of 10. See Program Specialist across all of City and County of San Francisco →

Highest-paying jurisdictions for this role

District of Columbia

$98,412 · 186

Ramsey County, Minnesota

$91,126 · 38

City of Chicago

$80,124 · 20

New York Public Authorities

$77,950 · 16

$67,227 · 7,181

$62,109 · 236

$50,327 · 621

$43,680 · 88

Median total compensation for comparable Program Specialistroles in other jurisdictions. Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for the role.

Record list

Employees with this title

Page 1

Carissa Bess

Program Specialist/Homelessness Services

2025 total comp

$172,734

Sub-department: Human Services
Organization group: Human Welfare & Neighborhood Development
Base pay: $124,723
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $48,011
Total compensation: $172,734
Employment type: Permanent Civil Service
Union / bargaining unit: SEIU, Local 1021, Misc
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1

Source-specific fields

Data As Of: Jun 14, 2026
Data Loaded At: Jun 15, 2026
Department Code: HOM
Health and Dental Benefits: $19,953
Job Code: 2913
Job Family Code: 2900
Organization Group Code: Human Welfare & Neighborhood Development
Other Benefits: $9,713

At Homelessness Services, Carissa Bess serves as a Program Specialist within Human Services. They work permanent civil service. Their 2025 pay totaled $172,734. Their bargaining unit is SEIU, Local 1021, Misc.

Helen Mergelian

Program Specialist/Homelessness Services

2025 total comp

$171,341

Sub-department: Human Services
Organization group: Human Welfare & Neighborhood Development
Base pay: $122,625
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $1,040
Benefits: $47,675
Total compensation: $171,341
Employment type: Permanent Civil Service
Union / bargaining unit: SEIU, Local 1021, Misc
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1

Source-specific fields

Data As Of: Jun 14, 2026
Data Loaded At: Jun 15, 2026
Department Code: HOM
Health and Dental Benefits: $19,953
Job Code: 2913
Job Family Code: 2900
Organization Group Code: Human Welfare & Neighborhood Development
Other Benefits: $9,537

At Homelessness Services, Helen Mergelian serves as a Program Specialist within Human Services. They work permanent civil service. Their 2025 pay totaled $171,341. Their bargaining unit is SEIU, Local 1021, Misc.

Janay Washington

Program Specialist/Homelessness Services

2024 total comp

$170,709

Sub-department: Human Services
Organization group: Human Welfare & Neighborhood Development
Base pay: $123,146
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $47,563
Total compensation: $170,709
Employment type: Permanent Civil Service
Union / bargaining unit: SEIU, Local 1021, Misc
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1.04

Source-specific fields

Data As Of: Jun 14, 2026
Data Loaded At: Jun 15, 2026
Department Code: HOM
Health and Dental Benefits: $19,294
Job Code: 2913
Job Family Code: 2900
Organization Group Code: Human Welfare & Neighborhood Development
Other Benefits: $9,412

Janay Washington works as a Program Specialist for Homelessness Services within Human Services. Their status is permanent civil service, 1.04 FTE. Janay earned $170,709 in 2024. Their bargaining unit is SEIU, Local 1021, Misc.