We Are The #30RightNow Coalition

The following was our policy statement. Since we won full funding in this year’s budget, the campaign is over, pending implementation.

We are living in a devastating time with COVID-19 and reckoning with institutional racism and white supremacist violence. However, we must not lose sight of the housing equity issues that plague the city. One specific example is the massive rent burdens imposed — not by private landlords — but the City and County of San Francisco on its most vulnerable tenants.

Last year, the Board of Supervisors allocated $1 million in the budget to help bring the rents of tenants in SROs and apartments under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing down to 30% of tenant incomes, which is the HUD standard, and the rate that supportive housing tenants in newer buildings pay. Between 2,000-3,000 tenants in SROs are currently paying 50% or more of their income towards rent!

A year later, after much pressure from community, including a pre-pandemic action in City Hall, the mayor allocated the funds to bring the rents down to 30% of income for tenants in buildings under the Direct Access To Housing Program. 678 tenants in the program spanning several SROs who aren’t already paying 30% of their income will now pay that instead of 50% of their income. However, there are over 2,000 tenants (most of whom live in buildings managed by the Tenderloin Housing Clinic) who have not seen relief yet. Thankfully, legislation was introduced (File: 201185) to address this issue and has been signed by the mayor, however, we are urging that the rent reductions be funded and implemented by the FY2021–22 budget cycle.

According to updated figures from the Budget and Legislative Analyst, we would need $6–6.5 million per year to get rents in these SROs and apartments down to 30% of income; when supportive housing tenants are starving and facing eviction, this is a small investment. While we support all tenants who are living in supportive housing, thousands of people of color (especially Black), immigrants, families, seniors, veterans, and disabled people have been struggling for years to pay exorbitant rents for such small & sometimes toxic spaces. Many are getting by on a meager SSI, Social Security, or G.A. check; and, now with COVID-19, we are trying to shelter in place and stay safe while many are sharing bathrooms and common spaces. We were promised safe, decent, truly affordable, and supportive housing but have not received it.

The #30RightNow coalition is a diverse, multi-racial, multi-tendency movement to bring attention to the issues faced by tenants in supportive housing concerning rental rates.

The #30RightNow Coalition is an all-volunteer organization and consists of this ever growing list of advocates and organizations who are committed to rent relief for supportive housing tenants, including many SRO/supportive housing tenants

Core Signatories:

Jordan Davis, lead organizer, joined by Reggie Meadows, Liza Murawski, and Rebecca Browning, Tenderloin People’s Congress, AHEAd Committee

Jessica Lehman and Freddy Martin, Senior and Disability Action

Lorenzo Listana, SOMA Neighborhood Resident Council

Organizational Signatories:

AIDS Legal Referral Panel

Anti-Displacement Coalition

Asian Americans Advancing Justice — Asian Law Caucus

Bill Sorro Housing Program (BiSHoP)

Causa Justa: Just Cause

Coalition On Homelessness

Community Forward SF (Formerly CATS)

Community Housing Partnership

Community United Against Violence (CUAV)

Compass Family Services

Conard House SF

Delivering Innovations In Supportive Housing (DISH)

Dolores Street Community Services

Episcopal Community Services SF

Faithful Fools

Glide

Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club

Homeless Emergency Service Providers Association (HESPA)

Homeless Prenatal

Hospitality House

Housing Rights Committee SF

LYRIC

Rad Mission Neighbors

SEIU 1021

SF Latinx Democratic Club

SF Berniecrats

SF Democratic Socialists Of America, Homelessness Working Group

SF Green Party

SF POWER

SF Youth Commission

Skywatchers/ABD

Supportive Housing Providers Network

Tenderloin Chinese Rights Association

Tipping Point Community

Veteran’s Alley Mural Project

Individual Signatories:

Adriana Kin Romero, Tenant

Abi Ramanan

Anakh Sul Rama, Community Organizer for Community Housing Partnership

Ann Guevarra, TFCA

Anne Bluenthal, Director Skywatchers/ABD Productions

Brandee Marckman, SF Berniecrats Co-Chair

Carolina Morales, Anti-Violence Educator, MSW Candidate

Colette Hughes

Curtis Bradford

Dale Hoyt

David Elliot Lewis, Ph.D.

David Joseph Carpenter

Dori Taporco, SoMa Neighborhood Resident Council

Elizabeth Kita, PhD, LCSW, Private Practice

Emelita Torio, LEAd Program

Eric Marcoux

Felecia Smith

Gail Seagraves

Gilbert Gammad, Abby Larson, Sokunthea Chhun, Michelle Chen, and Ashley Reyes, MSW candidates

Gregory Ledbetter, Chair Black and Brown Just Policy

Heather McDonnell Haney

Jaime Manuel Viloria

James Pounders, TL Resident

Judith Beck

Karen R Taylor

Kim Diamond

Laksh Basin

Lindsay Mulcahy, Former Tenderloin Housing Clinic Staff

Mary Leatherman

Mary Rush

Matthew Florence

Michael Lyon

Natividad Galinato and Cheryl Shanks, SF POWER

Njon Sanders, Former Chair, Behavioral Health Commission

Phil Rubin

Priya Sawhney, Former Tenderloin Housing Clinic Employee

Rafi Bortnick

Ray DiGiacomo, Founder, Second Chance Fight Club, THC Tenant

Robert Rogers, Former Tenderloin Housing Clinic Employee

Reuben Alvear

Simone Manganelli

Stephanie Menchavez, Mint Mall Resident AssemblyVictor Nelson