Coronavirus

‘A Serious Crisis’ — Experts Discuss Expiring Eviction Protections

03.18.2022

By Noah Arroyo, Assistant Editor

If state lawmakers don’t act fast, tenants across California will become vulnerable to eviction next month for rent debts they accumulated during the pandemic.

Amid increasing calls for Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature to avert an eviction wave, the San Francisco Public Press held a live panel discussion Wednesday about how the state got to this moment and what comes next. The Public Press spoke with Ora Prochovnick, director of litigation and policy at the Eviction Defense Collaborative, which provides free legal aid to people facing eviction, and Shanti Singh, communications and legislative director at Tenants Together, a statewide coalition of tenant-rights groups.

A man in a plaid shirt holds a fire extinguisher.

Grassroots Nonprofits and Homeless Communities Create Their Own Fire Prevention Solutions

A view of tall buildings in San Francisco's Marina district, with a palm tree in the foreground. California tenants facing COVID-19 hardships must request rent and utility assistance before the end of March, when the state will stop accepting applications for rent relief.

California’s Rent-Relief Program to Stop Taking Applications March 31

A view of four-story apartment buildings on a San Francisco street. An eviction wave could wash over California starting in April, after statewide protections for renters expire, according to tenants' groups.

California Evictions Could Soar in April, Tenant Groups Warn

San Francisco Rent Relief Tracker

Coronavirus

Case Rates Should Drive Risk Mitigation Behavior, Doctor Says

01.13.2022

By Laura Wenus, Reporter & Host for "Civic"

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

11.23.2021

By Noah Arroyo, Assistant Editor

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

10.25.2021

By Noah Arroyo, Assistant Editor

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?

10.21.2021

By Laura Wenus, Reporter & Host for "Civic"

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

A "check cashing" sign hangs above a storefront. While San Franciscans who owe COVID-19-related rent debt are eligible for relief from the government, those who borrowed from friends, family, and other sources are stuck with that debt.

Thousands in SF Saddled With Rent Debt but Ineligible for Government Help

10.07.2021

By Noah Arroyo, Assistant Editor

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

10.01.2021

By Noah Arroyo, Assistant Editor

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

09.30.2021

By Frank Bass, Nina Sparling, Reporter and Jenny Kwon

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

A crochet teddy bear peeks through the window of a family home in the Ingleside neighborhood. The teddy bear wears blue scrubs, a stethoscope and a mask.

California Eviction Moratorium to Expire; Advocates Urge Renters, Cities to Act

09.23.2021

By Laura Wenus, Reporter & Host for "Civic"

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

A gloved provider holds a needle to a person's shoulder in preparation for a vaccine injection.

Low Vaccination Rates in Parts of Bayview Could Be Driving High COVID-19 Infections

09.16.2021

By Noah Arroyo, Assistant Editor

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.

Education

Educators Excited, Exhausted, as School Resumes in Person

08.23.2021

By Laura Wenus, Reporter & Host for "Civic"

Distance learning and hybrid schedules were taking their toll on students, teachers and parents. Now, nearly everyone is back, though school looks a little different with pandemic precautions like universal indoor masking in place. School social worker Yajaira Cuapio and kindergarten teacher Cathy Sullivan shared their experiences with the return to classrooms.