On June 5, city voters could make history by guaranteeing legal help to anyone facing eviction, regardless of income. If Proposition F passes, it would make San Francisco the first city to pass such a law through a voter-approved initiative, and boost the national “right to counsel” movement.
Category: Housing
Posted inClimate Change, Environment, Government & Politics, Housing, Land use, Neighborhoods, News, Sea Level Rise
State Looking to Require Cities to Plan for Rising Seas
California officials are taking their first, tentative steps toward requiring cities to plan for severe sea level rise that scientists now say could conceivably elevate high tides by up to 22 feet by the middle of the next century. A state-funded study recommends that local planners adopt a risk-averse approach to permitting developments such as hospitals and housing in areas that have even little chance of flooding in the coming decades.
Posted inHomelessness, Homelessness Solutions: Part 2, Housing, News, Social Services
City Rolls Out Tech Platform to Improve — and Ration — Shelter, Housing for the Homeless
San Francisco has begun rolling out a new technology platform that officials say will better help the homeless population by giving priority for shelter and housing to those with the greatest need. But the ONE System also functions as a form of rationing of scarce affordable housing.
Posted inEducation, Government & Politics, Homelessness, Homelessness Solutions: Part 2, Housing, Neighborhoods, News, Public Safety, Social Services
On the Move: One Hardworking Family’s Struggle to Escape Homelessness
City native Victoria Ortiz’s path to homelessness began in the East Bay more than two years ago when she was pregnant, working at a Staples and subletting a room. A housemate stopped forwarding the rent to the landlord, and everyone was evicted. This is the story of her determination to find stable housing for her family while living at a shelter in San Francisco.
Posted inHomelessness Solutions: Part 2, Housing, Media, Social Justice, Social Services
Rebuttal to Beyond Chron Criticism of Public Press Report on Residential Hotel Vacancies
Last week on his blog, Beyond Chron, Tenderloin Housing Clinic Executive Director Randy Shaw belatedly referred to my Fall 2017 Public Press cover story about vacancies in single-room occupancy hotels as “extremely misleading” and “false.” I was disappointed, but not surprised. And I am not alone.
Posted inBay Area, Government & Politics, Homelessness, Homelessness Solutions: Part 2, Housing, News
Most Homeless Families Helped by City Rent Programs Move Out of S.F.
A San Francisco initiative to help homeless families find affordable apartments and assist them in paying the rent is sending the majority of them out of the city because of the high cost and shortage of housing.
Posted inArts & Culture, Economy & Business, Homelessness, Housing, Land use
Guerrilla Art Project Uses News for ‘Housing Displacement Facts’
The fall 2017 issue of the Public Press, which focused on some possible solutions to homelessness, inspired graphic designer Erik Schmitt to create informational labels he posted on single-room occupancy hotels listed as empty.
Posted inHomelessness, Housing
Community Workshop Attracts 200 Seeking Solutions to Homelessness
The symposium, organized by the Public Press, was an all-day gathering of advocates, architects, journalists, activists, service providers, innovators, city officials, policymakers and homeless men and women. But, before you can solve a problem, you have to know what the problem is. And, when it comes to addressing homelessness, there’s a lot the general public should know.
Posted inCity Hall, Climate Change, Environment, Government & Politics, Housing, News
Critics See Environmental Threats in State Rule Changes That Speed Housing
Some environmental advocates say long-standing state rules governing soil pollution, traffic congestion and flood control will be weakened by legislation pushed by Democratic lawmakers from San Francisco and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown that will “streamline” land-use regulations to speed housing construction.
Posted inEconomy & Business, Health, Homelessness, Housing
Community Voices: Your Ideas for Addressing Homelessness
We asked readers for their ideas on how to address homelessness in the city. Here’s some of what they said. What would you do?