San Francisco (AP)-San Francisco intends to ban the homeless to live in the RV, accepting the strict new boundaries of the parking lot, which the mayor says that the sidewalks are necessary to be transparent and prevent the trash.
On Tuesday, the final approval of San Francisco caretakers is aimed at at least 400 recreational vehicles in 800,000 people in the city. RV is a shelter for people who cannot afford housing, including immigrants’ families with children.
Those who live in them say that there is a necessary choice for an expensive city where it is impossible to find accessible apartments. But Mayor Daniel Lurie and other political supporters say motor homes are not suitable for long life, and the city must have asylum for those who need it and clean the streets.
“We absolutely want to serve those families, those who are in crisis throughout San Francisco,” said Kunal Modi, advising the Mayor of Health, Homeless and Family Services. “We believe that the responsibility to help them achieve a stable decision. And at the same time, we want to make sure that this stability is somewhere indoors and is not exposed to the public road.”
However, critics of the plan say that it is cruel to force people to give up the only home in exchange for traditional housing when there are not enough units for all people who need help; The mayor only offers extra money to help 65 households.
Jennifer Friedenbach, Executive Director of the Homeless Coalition, says that the city officials regret that they determine the attached permission program that will dismiss the RV residents from parking as long as they work with homeless information staff to find housing.
“I think there will be people who will lose RV. I think there will be people who will be able to get to the shelter, but are ‘people with higher needs, like those who sleep on the sidewalk, she said.
San Francisco, like other US cities, has noticed an explosion in recent years when people live from vehicles and RV as the cost of living has increased. Prohibition on too large vehicles is part of Lurie’s promises to clean the streets of San Francisco, and part of the growing tendency to require homeless to accept shelter or risk arrests or TOW offers.
Strict new rules
This offer sets a two -hour parking lot for all RVs and too large vehicles longer than 22 feet (7 meters) or above 7 feet (2 meters), regardless of whether they are used as housing.
According to the attached publishing program, RV residents, registered in the city since May, are relieved of the boundary of the parking lot. In exchange, they must accept the city offer for temporary or longer periods of housing and get rid of their RV when it comes time to move. The city made up more than half a million dollars to buy RV from the residents for $ 175 per foot.
Permissions will last for six months. People who come after May will not be able to obtain a permit program and have to follow a two -hour rule, making it impossible for the RV family to live within the city limits.
For the first time, she cleaned the supervisory board last week when two of the 11 supervisors voted “No”.
RV residents cannot afford lease
Carlos Perez, 55, was one of the RVs who said this month at the meeting to the supervisors that they could not afford a large city rental. Perez works full -time as a producer and supports her brother who lives with him and is unable to work for disability.
“We don’t do anything wrong. We try to keep this street clean,” he said, as he recently showed his RV associated press journalist. “It’s not easy to be in a place like this.”
Still, Perez also likes where he lives. The green RV is decorated with a cozy cottage, with a sink and a small stove on which Carlos has recently stewed bean soup.
He has been living in San Francisco for over 30 years, with a decade of RV workers’ class Byview neighborhood. He can go to work and is near the hospital where his brother gets dialysis several times a week.
Another RV resident, Zach, who asked his name to be identified, failed to hurt his ability to get a job, and began to live in a vehicle a few years ago, realizing that no matter how difficult he was, he still tried to pay the rent.
He now works as a driver driver and seeks love to take pictures. It parks near Lake Merced in the city near the Pacific and pays $ 35 every two or four weeks to properly dispose of waste and fill the vehicle with fresh water.
He says the Lurie plan is short -sighted. Housing is not enough and many want to live in RV during a shelter stay, which can be restrictive rules. He says that Zach, who is working, supports clean space and has no dependents, to move to the shelter would be a step down. Still, he expects to obtain permission.
“If the dwelling was available, there is a very good chance that I wouldn’t be here,” he said.
City recently closed the only RV party
RV residents say that San Francisco should open a safe parking lot where residents could empty garbage and access to electricity. However, the city officials closed the RV party in April, saying that they cost about $ 4 million a year to serve three dozen large vehicles and failed to move to more stable housing.
The new mayor’s proposal provides more money for reinforced RV parking lots-however, there are also $ 11 million, mostly few households that could move to subsidized housing for several years.
Officials recognize that the accommodation of all RVs may not be enough, but notes that the city also has hotel coupons and other housing subsidies.
The CEO of Erica Kisch, a non -profit -seeking Compass Family Services, which helps homeless families, says they do not support the nature of the criminal offer, but are grateful for additional resources.
“Acknowledging that households should not live in vehicles, that we have to do better for families, seniors and anyone else living in the vehicle,” she said. “Of course, San Francisco can do better.”