Housing

A poster with a black and white image of a person sleeping on a sidewalk appears above a red background with white text describing the Tenant Right to Counsel Program and contact information.

Eviction Rates in SF Soar as Legal Aid Faces Deep Funding Cuts

04.30.2025

By Sylvie Sturm, Reporter / audio host

San Francisco is experiencing a surge in eviction court filings that has taken even the most seasoned eviction defense lawyers by surprise.

In February, 365 eviction lawsuits were filed — up 57% from a year earlier — and March had 303 filings, bringing the total for this year to 929.

At this pace, San Francisco is on track to seeing more than 3,700 eviction lawsuits this year, versus 2,923 cases filed in 2024, according to the Tenant Right to Counsel, which was established in 2018, when San Francisco passed the “No Eviction Without Representation Act,” requiring the city to fund legal representation for residents facing eviction.

Nine people stand behind a mound of dirt, each holding a shovel in the ceremonial groundbreaking.

Mission District Slated to Gain 168 Affordable Homes for Families by 2027

Tents line a sidewalk along a quiet city street.

‘They’ll All Be Homeless’

More Tenderloin Tenants Face Eviction Amid Rent Strike

A bald man in a brown jacket with an open-mouth smile stares directly into the camera.

Politics Didn’t Matter to Him When He Was Homeless. Now He Organizes His Neighbors.

“Civic” Podcast

A rally attendee holds a sign that reads “Yes on G.”

‘Affordable’ Housing Can Be Too Expensive For Seniors. Proposition G Could Help Fix That.

11.01.2024

By Madison Alvarado

Many older adults living on fixed incomes in San Francisco teeter on the brink of homelessness. After rent, they have little money for other essentials.

Proposition G could keep some of those people off the streets by reducing rents in hundreds of already-subsidized units, putting them within reach for extremely low-income seniors and other groups.

Elections

Proposition G — Fund Housing for Extremely Low-Income Tenants

10.07.2024

By Madison Alvarado

NEW: Read, and listen to our podcast episode, about how affordability and other issues informing Proposition G affect the lives of San Franciscans, in a story published Nov. 1. See our November 2024 SF Voter Guide for a nonpartisan analysis of measures on the San Francisco ballot, for the election occurring Nov. 5, 2024. The following measure is on that ballot.

Environment

John Britt sits in his apartment with his dog on his lap, and his air purifier to his left.

Local Groups Cut Red Tape to Give Low-Income Tenants Clean Air

09.17.2024

By Audrey Mei Yi Brown

John Britt and dozens of other tenants are breathing easier, now that they have government-funded air purifiers. Community groups cut through bureaucracy to put the devices in their hands, in a pilot project that might continue next year if it proves successful enough.

Climate Change

Green Retrofits Might Displace Tenants — One Landlord’s Pilot Project Aims to Protect Them

08.28.2024

By Audrey Mei Yi Brown

Amparo Vigil is decarbonizing and upgrading her property to help her tenants stay cool during sweltering heat waves.

The project aims to determine how to retrofit multi-unit buildings without displacing tenants, which could happen if the work scaled up across San Francisco and increased rents.

Bay Area

In the Name of Eelgrass

06.24.2024

By Anushuya Thapa

We bring you this story from Bay Nature, a newsroom covering the environment:

In the Richardson Bay, between Sausalito and Tiburon, anchors from the people who live on their boats are threatening vital eelgrass habitat. Even though an alternative anchor technology could prevent the damage, authorities are telling the residents to leave, potentially putting some at risk of homelessness.

Government & Politics

Many people gather behind Sen. Susan Rubio, who is speaking at a podium at the state Capitol.

Recent Policy Reforms May Help California Domestic Violence Survivors Stay Housed

05.13.2024

By Viji Sundaram, Reporter

Domestic violence survivors in the Golden State are getting some help in the form of recent regulatory reforms. That includes one policy that prohibits some landlords from rejecting housing applicants based on their credit histories, which often suffer in abusive situations.

But more big fixes are needed, a UCSF report notes, like additional domestic violence shelters and better coordination of shelter and social service intake systems. Many women find today’s homeless shelter settings unsafe, so they opt to sleep on the streets after they leave an abusive partner.

Immigration

Proveedores de ervicios opinan que SF subestima la necesidad que hay a pesar de que cada vez más familias migrantes buscan acceder albergues

05.01.2024

By Madison Alvarado

Los proveedores de servicios han visto un aumento reciente en el número de familias migrantes sin hogar que buscan refugio en San Francisco, y dicen que el sistema de albergues de la ciudad está saturado, y a menudo falla, para recibirlos. Los defensores locales de las personas sin hogar están pidiendo ala alcaldía que satisfaga esta urgente necesidad.

Immigration

More Migrant Families Are Trying to Access Shelter While SF Underestimates Need, Service Providers Say

04.12.2024

By Madison Alvarado

Service providers have seen a recent increase in the number of unhoused migrant families seeking shelter in San Francisco, and say that the city’s temporary housing system is straining, and often failing, to receive them. Local homeless advocates are calling on City Hall to meet the need.

City Hall

Proposition A — Affordable Housing Bonds

02.05.2024

By Lila LaHood, Publisher

Proposition A would allow San Francisco to borrow up to $300 million by issuing general obligation bonds. The city would use up to $240 million to build, buy or rehabilitate rental housing, including senior housing and workforce housing for low-income households.

City Hall

Proposition C — Real Estate Transfer Tax Exemption and Office Space Allocation

02.05.2024

By Lila LaHood, Publisher

Proposition C would change San Francisco’s tax policy to allow a one-time transfer tax exemption for owners of properties converted from commercial to residential use the first time they are sold following conversion, as long as the change of use is approved before Jan. 1, 2030.