In front of the San Francisco Central Hotel parking lot on Market Street, several immigrant families facing eviction have gathered with supporters to speak out against their temporary hotel vouchers ending.
The urgency of the news conference came as the families’ eviction dates ranged from Thursday evening to Sunday.
Led by the group Faith in Action, members of the community as well as several of the family members on Thursday spoke about the need for immediate action and stable shelter as they awaited responses from the city’s Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing.
With his families’ belongings at his side, Jose Cruz, originally from El Salvador, told his son “con calma” or “with calmness,” as the crowd grew with representatives from groups such as the First Mennonite Church, the Good Samaritan Family Resource Center, Shalom Bayit and Party for Socialism and Liberation took turns voicing their support for the families.
Bridget Early, a social worker at Everett Middle School where Cruz’s son, Rodrigo Cruz attends, said “This is the same story, different family and it is not okay. We have enough money in this city to fix this tonight”.
“We don’t want anyone to gift us with anything. We want to pay, we just want something that is stable.” Jose Duran, father of one of the families facing eviction
About 70 percent of students at Everett Middle School are Latinx according to the California Department of Education, and Early recalled her 17 years’ experience working at the school.
“We don’t want anyone to gift us with anything. We want to pay, we just want something that is stable,” Jose Duran, a father of one of the families facing eviction said through a translator.
Duran’s family, who came from Venezuela, are currently expecting to be evicted on Saturday and have struggled to find an alternative plan. He said he hoped to be the voice for other families that are facing similar situations.
According to data from the City of San Francisco, 7,754 people experienced homelessness in 2022.
Rafael Gonzalez, a supporter of the families said “this is something we have to change. San Francisco has different values, and we have to show these values to everyone.”
The Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, which initially offered the families vouchers for housing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“We are here for the fight that we are going to win. We cannot be indifferent to the pain of so many families,” said Brenda Cordoba, the executive director of Faith in Action.