SAN FRANCISCO – People living in RVs in San Francisco and their supporters rallied on Wednesday, worried they will be displaced by the city’s new RV ban.
RV dwellers are asking the city to hold off on towing until new protections can be put in place.
San Francisco’s new RV legislation took effect over the weekend.
What’s the law?
The plan bans RVs and other large vehicles from parking in one place for more than two hours. Vehicles that overstay those limits are subject to fines or towing.
RV residents and their supporters said the new rules could punish those who already have few options for housing available.
“We ask the city of San Francisco to please give these families time to be able to register the RV. Please provide transparency on the process,” said Gabriel Medina from the La Raza Community Resource Center.
The backstory:
In June, city outreach teams canvassed the city, meeting with those living in about 500 RVs and issuing 322 large vehicle refuge permits.
Zach is one of those who received a permit. He’s lived in an RV for eight years and said the city’s efforts at outreach were ineffective, and he worked to notify his fellow RV dwellers.
“The only thing so far we have on paper is the permit. What is housing gonna look like? What is the shelter situation gonna look like? The shelter is non-congregate,” said Zach.
The Department of Emergency Management said, “To support exits from vehicles, this year’s budget added 100 new adult rapid rehousing (RRH) slots reserved for people in large vehicles, 100 new RRH slots for transition age youth (TAY), and 50 hotel vouchers for adults, providing immediate relief and pathways to stability. “
What is the city’s goal?
The city said the goal is to get residents out of RVs and into permanent housing.
But homeless advocates are saying first and foremost they want the city to hold off on any towing unless the person living in the RV has another housing option.
Advocates also say the city’s process isn’t transparent, so they don’t know whether those housing options meet the needs of those living in vehicles.
“RVs are an innovative solution to our housing crises,” said Jennifer Friedenbach from San Francisco’s Coalition on Homelessness. “We want to see the city open up safe parking sites and we could do that affordably.”
Since the two-hour parking ban took effect, the city has cited three unpermitted vehicles, and towed two. Two other vehicles left on their own as they watched enforcement get underway.