Some 29 people were displaced by Sunday’s tire shop fire, and non-profit organizations and city agencies agree that offering housing is the most important way individuals can help the victims.
“What they need most of all is housing,” said Ben Amyes, emergency services coordinator for the Human Services Agency. Amyes said that the agency is in the process of finding landlords who are willing to rent out empty apartments at below-market rate under what is known as the City’s Good Samaritan Occupancy Law.
Using this legislation, the landlords would negotiate a temporary lease for the displaced tenants without being bound by rent control and just cause eviction laws. Such leases would remain in effect at below market rates for two years and at the end of the period tenants would move out or negotiate a new lease with the landlord.
Expressing his concern for the displaced tenants, Supervisor David Campos used his Facebook page to call on “Good Samaritan” landlords to step forward.
“Our office is working with the apartment association and putting a general call out to anyone who may have a vacant apartment to enter into a short-term housing relationship with fire victims,” said Hillary Ronen, Campos’ legislative aide. “There were six units in building that were displaced in the current housing crisis. It’s incredibly difficult to find replacement housing for these families.”
Landlords participating in this program would do so “because they want to help out during this crisis,” added Ronen.
“While we work with city agencies to understand the cause of the fire, we are also focused on the immediate needs of the families affected,” wrote Campos on social media, encouraging those that do not have the ability to physically house the victims to help by donating to the city fund that “will go directly towards the housing needs” of the affected tenants.
(The fund can be accessed at www.Give2SF.org and clicking on “Mayor’s Fund for the Homeless.” Donors can label their contributions, “Shotwell fire victims.”)
“The monetary contributions will help with the tenant’s relocation costs,” said Ronen about the city-administered fund.
John McKnight, the director of emergency and disaster services for the Salvation Army, says that despite the impulse to donate clothes and other items, gift cards may be the next best source of aid.
Gift cards “are wonderful and can offer immediate relief to the individual’s specific needs,” McKnight said, suggesting giving these gift cards to the tenants directly if possible. Organizations like the Red Cross and the Mission Economic Development Agency said they are not currently set up to accept such donations at this time, but may be in the future.
McKnight said the donation of clothes and other household items is often unnecessary.
“These are people living out of suitcases — they don’t need a ton of stuff,” said McKnight.
“We try to give resources to the people who lost everything — we can give them clothes if they need it,” he added, saying only 3-5 percent of donated clothing are usually be picked up by the individuals. The rest, he said, goes to the donation system.
If people do choose to donate clothing, items such as socks, underwear, and diapers are in short supply at the Salvation Army and are often needed by disaster victims.
Under the Good Samaritan law referred to in the article, the landlord is relieved of many rent control/eviction restrictions.
Interesting would love to see a follow up story on this. My guess is that there will be no landlords that are willing to do this. Unless the city makes some new laws that protect or benifit the landlord. For example, lifting rent control for unit the landlord, removing Ellis act restrictions. Unless deals/new laws are put into place why would a landlord put themselves at risk.