“My Biggest Fear Isn’t AIDS, It’s Being Evicted From My Rent-Controlled Unit”

[KamaAina]

http://betablog.org/my-biggest-fear-isnt-aids-its-being-evicted-from-my-rent-controlled-unit/

With the median rent for a one-bedroom apartment hovering around $3500 per month by latest estimates, housing is a top concern for many San Francisco residents, but especially so for those whose long personal histories tie them to the city—such as long-term survivors living with HIV.

“My biggest fear isn’t dying of AIDS, although that worry never goes away,” said Jonathan1, a San Francisco resident who’s lived in the city through the worst of the epidemic. “I have been living with HIV for more than 20 years and have been diagnosed with KS (Kaposi’s sarcoma), but my biggest fear is being evicted from my rent-controlled apartment.”

The San Francisco homeless point-in-time count and survey by Applied Survey Research counted 6,686 homeless people in San Francisco in 2015, with 7% reporting having AIDS or an HIV-related illness (about 486 people). The AIDS Housing Alliance of San Francisco reports that people with HIV are disproportionately affected by homelessness, with 14% of people with HIV/AIDS homeless at any given time. Housing is critical for people with HIV since stable housing facilitates retention in medical care and continuity of HIV treatment—both which improve health and prevent further HIV transmission....

“I’m terrified that an eviction notice will come. I’ve seen it happen to many people. And oftentimes, the people who get evicted are elderly or disabled, and that includes people with HIV. I don’t think the property owner owes me anything. But I think this city does. There needs to be political will to make sure that the history of our city—and that includes people—doesn’t get lost or pushed out. This city protects inanimate historical landmarks—and I think that it should also protect its living historical landmarks.”

[HockeyMom]

1. What are the laws in your state?

My Mom lived in a Rent Controlled Apartment in NYC when her building went Co-op in the 90's.
The tenants who had lived there for 10+ years or were 65+, were "grandfathered" in and could not be evicted or their rents raised. After Mom passed, I was told that since I grew up in that apartment (her sole survivor?), I too could live there under Rent Control.

Hopefully, you can find a way around it.

[KamaAina]

2. The key one is the Ellis Act.

It allows landlords to evict tenants if they're going out of the rental property business. It was intended to allow for owner move-ins, but these days, is more often abused by people wishing to flip their buildings in our white-hot market.

[abelenkpe]

3. Happening in LA like crazy too

Honestly, it's scary. Rents are insane here right now. Ellis act is being used by developers to kick out rent controlled tenants and build massive buildings with units that cost five times as much or more. So much for affordable housing.