Board of Supervisors President London Breed introduced new legislation yesterday that would provide city-mandated funds to San Francisco residents who've been displaced from their homes due to fire.
"A residential fire strikes without notice," stated Breed during yesterday's Board of Supervisors meeting. "Unlike many other significant life changing events, there is no advanced planning for a fire. No one expects it will happen to them. And many times it’s not even a fire in your own unit—the fire starts in another unit, or even another building. But suddenly, you have no place to live."
At the moment, the city does not maintain a specific emergency fund to help victims. The only current assistance is specifically reserved for those who earn 35 percent or less of the Area Median Income (AMI)—or under about $25K a year. The money is only used to provide limited-term housing subsidies.
Rear damage to the Fulton Street units (Photo: Doug Diboll)
Under Breed's new legislation, that could change. At Tuesday's Board of Supervisors meeting she proposed that the city create a fund to provide support to those victims who earn 100 percent AMI—$71,350—or less. Supervisor David Campos, whose district includes the Mission (where many fires have displaced occupants in the past year), co-sponsored the legislation.
"100 percent of AMI may sound like a lot, but a librarian making $70,000, or a married couple who work as a cook and hotel maid, are not rich. They are struggling to stay in the City just like everyone else. And when fire strikes, we should help," Breed stated.
If the legislation passes, $10,000 would be available to each victim, dispersed through San Francisco's Human Services Agency. Those who are eligible would have to apply within three months of the fire taking place.
A fire near Alamo Square in 2015 displaced 25 residents. (Photo: Nuala Sawyer/Hoodline)
Over the past year, dozens of individuals have been displaced from fires throughout the city, and in their wake, crowdfunding campaigns have popped up. In February's Fulton Street fire, which displaced 16 people, three separate fundraisers were established to help the victims, collectively raising over $30,000.
While crowdfunding is arguably an effective way to aid those who've been displaced by fire, they seem to do better for some communities than others. We recently profiled a family who lost their home in the Mission to a fire, and who depended heavily on the Red Cross and Good Samaritan Family Resource Center to find a new home. No crowdfunding campaign was established to help them with costs, so they were fully dependent on the city and non-profits to help them get back on their feet.
"To everyone who has been the victim of fire in San Francisco, or whose friends, family, or former neighbors are struggling to recover from fire, I say to you: we can help," stated Breed. "The City can do more to support our own in their time of need."
The legislation will go up for vote by committee in the next few weeks. If approved, and signed by Mayor Lee, the fund would be created 30 days thereafter.
