Housing
San Francisco Rent Relief Tracker
More than a month after the end of the moratorium on COVID-19-related evictions, requests for rent assistance far surpass authorized funds in San Francisco and continue to climb.
Coronavirus
Proposed Tenant-Organizing Protections Could Shift Balance of Power in SF
Renters throughout San Francisco could gain power to lessen COVID-19 financial hardships and improve conditions in their buildings with political-organizing tools that have a history of success in subsidized housing.
Coronavirus
Got Sued for Pandemic Rent Debt? Here’s What You Need to Know
Starting in November, many San Francisco tenants may have to defend themselves in small claims court if their landlords sue to obtain unpaid rent due since March 2020.
Housing
Thousands in SF Saddled With Rent Debt but Ineligible for Government Help
Thousands of San Franciscans who borrowed money to pay rent during the pandemic are stuck with that debt, making them worse off than those who let the bills lapse.
Federal relief funds cover only unpaid housing expenses. That leaves tenants vulnerable if they made good-faith efforts to pay those costs by taking on thousands of dollars of debt to credit card companies, payday lenders, relatives or friends — especially if they later seek different housing.
News
How SF Renters Can Face Down the Eviction Wave and Stay Housed
Thursday marked the end of the statewide moratorium on evictions for unpaid rents due to COVID-19-related hardships, and by Friday landlords could begin the process to remove tenants.
But the head of tenant legal defense in San Francisco wants renters to hear one message loud and clear: “You’re still protected.”
Coronavirus
Low Vaccination Rates in Parts of Bayview Could Be Driving High COVID-19 Infections
Low vaccination rates in several pockets of the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood could help explain persistently high cases of COVID-19 in San Francisco’s southeast, recently released data indicates.
Land use
State Report Links Redlining and Pollution Threats
San Francisco neighborhoods the federal government targeted with racist lending practices face the greatest health threats from pollution, a recent state study found. The California Environmental Protection Agency analyzed the latest pollution data in historically redlined neighborhoods, where people of color were denied mortgage loans under federal policies, in the report finalized in August.
Air-Pollution Tracking Project Launches in SF Bayview
Environmental activists are about to launch an air-monitoring project to track pollution linked to high rates of asthma and other health conditions in San Francisco’s Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood. The results could play an important role in demonstrating the environmental harm residents suffer.
Housing
In SF, Send a Text, Learn How to Avoid Eviction
San Francisco residents can now learn how to avoid eviction by sending a text message to a special phone number.
That service is part of an outreach campaign launched Friday by the San Francisco Anti-Displacement Coalition, a group of tenant-rights organizations. The goal: to teach people their rights and help them apply for rent assistance during the two months left before a statewide moratorium on evictions for unpaid rents expires.
Housing
SF Lawmakers Urge Governor to Extend Eviction Moratorium Again
The statewide eviction moratorium is set to expire Oct. 1, but San Francisco supervisors are urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to extend it to avoid a wave of COVID-19 infections from the virus’ more contagious delta variant.