More than one month after statewide eviction protections expired on June 30, less than 4% of rent relief funds requested by San Francisco households remain unprocessed, with 55% of funds paid out.
Coronavirus
California Evictions Could Soar in April, Tenant Groups Warn
California could see widespread evictions next month because of government delays in getting federal funds to renters, tenant groups warn.
Tenants throughout the state will still be waiting for rent assistance by April, when their pending applications will cease to protect them from eviction for those debts, the groups said in a report Tuesday.
Coronavirus
Case Rates Should Drive Risk Mitigation Behavior, Doctor Says
Dr. Kim Rhoads, who has been working on community-led responses to the pandemic, says what should drive decision making and risk mitigation is simply how much virus is in the community.
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.
Coronavirus
Knock-Knock: Have You Been Vaccinated Against COVID-19?
In Bayview Hunters Point, most residents have already gotten their shots. One community organizer says part of the reason for that high vaccination rate is because of on-the-ground outreach work that local groups have been doing. That work continues and will for the foreseeable future.
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.”
Housing
Rent Payments to SF Public Housing Agency Plunged in Last Two Years, Spurring Eviction Fears
Rent collections by San Francisco’s public housing agency fell precipitously in late 2019 and have continued to decline to less than half of what is owed, according to a San Francisco Public Press analysis — but the agency can’t explain why.
“Civic” Podcast
California Eviction Moratorium to Expire; Advocates Urge Renters, Cities to Act
Landlords may proceed with evictions against tenants for unpaid rent beginning Oct. 1 as a statewide moratorium on such evictions expires. Tenant, legal and public health advocates are urging tenants to apply for rent relief money, and want municipalities to approve additional protections, citing loss of housing as a public health concern.
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.