Around 50 tenants from various federally subsidized affordable and public housing complexes across San Francisco gathered on the steps of City Hall on Tuesday afternoon to express their frustrations over unsafe living conditions.
The group made their way to Mayor Daniel Lurie’s office, armed with a nearly five-foot-long letter demanding accountability from their property managers.
The reception from the mayor’s staff was less than welcoming. A staff member warned the tenants that if they did not leave the office, the situation may escalate. After approximately 30 minutes of standoff, a staff member eventually accepted the letter and a meeting ensued with tenants and housing advocates.
“Our residents are living in dangerously unsafe and degrading conditions,” read a portion of the letter shared with Mission Local.
It highlighted issues such as persistent infestations, toxic mold, structural disrepair, and repeated plumbing and electrical failures.
Residents expressed their frustration that requests for repairs and basic accommodations have gone unanswered for far too long, describing these intolerable living conditions as not only inhumane but potentially life-threatening.
This delivery marked the second time tenants had brought the same message to Mayor Lurie. In May, while he visited the Bayview Senior Services, Maika Pinkston from the Bayview Apartments handed Lurie a similar letter, urging him to visit affordable and public housing developments to gain firsthand experience of the living conditions.
However, after Lurie remarked that he would read the letter in his car, Pinkston did not receive any further response from the mayor’s office.
Hoping to capture Lurie’s attention this time, organizers inflated the letter to three times its original size. It seems to have achieved the desired effect as Ernest Jones, Lurie’s director of community affairs, came out to meet the group.
For an hour, he listened as tenants detailed their complaints before offering a few upcoming opportunities for the mayor to tour housing complexes, including Plaza East and Alice Griffith.
Tenants have persistently voiced complaints about the deteriorating conditions in San Francisco’s low-income HUD programs, which include both affordable and public housing supported by federal funding.
Even newly redeveloped public housing complexes report experiencing issues such as broken elevators, leaks, defective smoke detectors, and ongoing pest infestations.
“This is unacceptable. Why are Bayview, Fillmore, and Alice Griffith being ignored?” a tenant questioned from the steps of City Hall before entering the mayor’s office.
The situation escalated as tenants waited to hear from Lurie’s office. To their surprise, he did show up at Alice Griffith Apartments in Bayview-Hunters Point in June, accompanied by a property manager from the John Stewart Company—an organization that manages various public and affordable housing developments in the city.
Residents recalled how the property manager had made efforts to clean the site prior to Lurie’s visit.
While the mayor noted some dog feces on the sidewalk during this visit, tenants reported that he largely kept quiet and left after a brief handshake with a few residents.
Since Lurie’s visit, tenants claim that the conditions have worsened again. They are now urging him to return along with other subsidized apartments in the Western Addition such as Freedom West Homes and Thomas Paine.
Despite the Housing Authority and city government having diminished authority over redeveloped public housing projects that have transitioned to private ownership, tenants argue that the city still engages developers with histories of mismanagement.
Recently, the mayor’s office announced plans to move forward with a new development at 530 Sansome in the Financial District in partnership with Related California.
This company has faced accusations of constructing poorly managed properties, including buildings overtaken by rats and neglecting maintenance complaints regarding broken appliances.
Residents contend this case exemplifies the city’s willingness to support management companies that have a history of neglecting the needs of predominantly low-income communities and Black residents in HUD programs, effectively pushing them out of the city.
“Why are these companies rewarded while they harm our communities?” an activist shouted through a megaphone outside City Hall, calling them ‘slumlords.’
This gathering reflects a larger ongoing struggle for adequate housing and the voices of tenants demanding that their rights and living conditions be prioritized by city officials.
image source from：missionlocal
