Residents say SF public housing stinks

Bayview Hunters Point tenants and members of People Organized to Win Employment Rights (POWER) will participate in a public hearing in the Land Use Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to bring their concerns directly to San Francisco Housing Authority Executive Director Gregg Fortner about living conditions that include raw sewage in Bayview’s public housing.

A report derived from a survey of tenants in Hunters Point A West public housing will be presented to the Housing Authority and members of the Board of Supervisors, including Supervisor Sophie Maxwell, who represents District 10. Bayview Hunters Point is the largest neighborhood in the district.

The hearing comes in the wake of increasing development activities in Bayview Hunters Point that leave residents charging that the gross neglect of public housing is dividing the city into two San Franciscos — one for wealthier white residents and one for low income people of color.

POWER members are calling for the Housing Authority to increase the resources and responsiveness for public housing maintenance and repair. In addition to addressing maintenance concerns, the Housing Authority has also been asked to update the City on the status of vacant units that were previously offered to Hurricane Katrina survivors.

The hearing will be held in San Francisco City Hall, Room 263 on the second floor, on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 1 p.m. Transportation to the hearing will be available at 11:30 a.m. at 1152 Palou Ave. and will return to the same location at 3 p.m.

The hearing was called by Supervisor Sophie Maxwell’s office, in support of public housing residents and members of POWER. POWER is a membership organization comprised of low and no-income tenants and workers fighting for racial, economic and gender justice in San Francisco. San Francisco Housing Authority Executive Director Gregg Fortner and inspectors from the San Francisco Department of Public Health will also attend and testify at the hearing.

“With all the talk about beautifying Bayview Hunters Point, where are the resources for mothers and children living here today?” asked Alicia Schwartz, organizer for POWER. “It is the role of the San Francisco Housing Authority to provide safe, decent, affordable housing for low income people. There may be palm trees on Third Street, but up the block in public housing, kids are stepping over sewage just to enter their homes.”

For more information, contact Sara Shortt, Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco, 427 South Van Ness, San Francisco, CA 94103, (415) 703-8634, or Alicia Schwartz and Jaron Browne, POWER, (415) 864-8372, ext. 302 and 303.


http://www.sfbayview.com/110905/housingstinks110905.shtml