San Francisco is set to ban homeless people from living in RVs by adopting strict new parking limits the mayor says are necessary to keep sidewalks clear and prevent trash build-up. The policy, up for final approval by San Francisco supervisors Tuesday, targets at least 400 RVs in the city of 800,000. Those who live in them say they're a necessary option in an expensive city where affordable apartments are impossible to find, reports the AP. But Mayor Daniel Lurie and other supporters of the policy say motor homes are not suitable for long-term living and the city has to both provide shelter to those in need and clean up the streets.
"We absolutely want to serve ... those who are in crisis across San Francisco," says Kunal Modi, who advises the mayor on health, homelessness, and family services. "We feel the responsibility to help them get to a stable solution. And at the same time, we want to make sure that that stability is ... not exposed in the public roadway." Critics of the plan, however, say that it's cruel to force people to give up their only home in exchange for a shot at traditional housing when there is not nearly enough units for all the people who need help; the mayor is only offering additional money to help 65 households.
"I think that there's going to be people who lose their RVs. I think there's going to be people who are able to get into shelter, but at the expense" of people with higher needs, like those sleeping on a sidewalk, she said. The proposal sets a two-hour parking limit citywide for all RVs and oversized vehicles, regardless of whether they are being used as housing. Under the accompanying permit program, RV residents registered with the city as of May are exempt. In exchange, they must accept the city's offer of temporary or longer-term housing, and get rid of their RV when it's time to move.
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