Families Demand Affordable Housing Solutions in Bold Protest Rally

Latest

Mothers deliver testimony inside the mayor’s office inside San Francisco City Hall on February 11, 2025 / Photo Leon Kunstenaar

San Francisco, CA. On February 11, homeless families and their allies rallied and marched to San Francisco City Hall, demanding more affordable housing and critical changes to the family shelter system. The rally, which started from Hamilton Family Shelter, called for immediate action to restore the waitlist for housing, ensuring that families living in hotels or doubled-up situations can access shelter and support.

Among the key demands, protesters urged the City to establish a transparent process for families seeking shelter extensions, including providing adequate support and clear information. They also called for the expansion of permanent housing options by adding 125 five-year subsidies to the 125 already slated for release in March, as well as 50 flex-pool subsidies, which would provide more families with the chance to transition from shelter to stable housing.

Ralliers march from Hamilton Family Shelter to San Francisco City Hall on February 11, 2025 / Photo Leon Kunstenaar

Their call to action was motivated by the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing moving to implement a controversial 90-day time limit for families in shelters in December. The department’s measure created confusion throughout the community, as families feared exiting to the streets without knowing that they have a right to ask for an extension. This lack of transparency in the process has added to families’ existing anxieties as they navigate an ever challenging housing crisis marked by increasing rents, job losses and limited resources.

One of the protest’s central themes was the time limit’s destabilizing impact on children. At the rally, formerly unhoused mother Tina Collins led a chant of “shelter to housing,” emphasizing that all families desire the stability of a home that provides safety, warmth, and happiness. The emotional toll of housing uncertainty on children has become a critical concern for many families who are desperate for change.

Following the rally, protesters marched to City Hall, where they met with local officials, including Kunal Modi, Mayor Daniel Lurie’s chief of health, homelessness and family services. Policymakers listened attentively to the demands of families and service providers, encouraging organizers who hope it will lead to meaningful progress in securing affordable housing and support for families in need.

(Reprinted from the Street Sheet, a Publication of the Coalition on Homelessness)

+ Articles by this author

Free to republish but please credit the People's Tribune. Visit us at www.peoplestribune.org, email peoplestribune@gmail.com, or call 773-486-3551.

The People’s Tribune brings you articles written by individuals or organizations, along with our own reporting. Bylined articles reflect the views of the authors. Unsigned articles reflect the views of the editorial board. Please credit the source when sharing: ©2024 peoplestribune.org. Please donate to help us keep bringing you voices of the movement. Click here. We’re all volunteer, no paid staff.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Featured

Resistance Against Mass Deportations Webinar Scheduled July 17

The Zooming to the Resistance Against Mass Deportations Coalition is planning the second in a series of webinars exploring how people across the country are fighting mass deportations. During the webinar, scheduled July 17 at 4 p.m. Pacific, a panel of fighters from California cities and the East Coast will share their experience resisting the cruel ICE raids.

Mamdani’s NY Campaign Electrifies Those Seeking a Better Life

Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, has struck a nerve by voicing the demands of those who are struggling to survive as the cost of living continues to rise.

Another Big Beautiful Betrayal for Rural America

You slash Medicaid, you’re swinging an axe at the heart of our rural hospitals, community clinics, doctors and nurses — and every family that depends on a job for a living. It’s not too late to raise hell.

ICE Terror Campaign Threatens Us All

Several recent Facebook reels show how ICE is ramping up its campaign of terror against immigrants, citizens and protestors alike as the effort to create a police state continues and resistance grows. One creator speaks to the significance of Haitians now being targeted.

Medicaid Defenders in Wheelchairs Arrested Ahead of Senate Budget Vote

Over 60 people, including grandmas in wheelchairs, were arrested in the U.S. Senate Rotunda in a nonviolent protest against cuts like Medicaid and the SNAP food program in Trump’s “Big Beautiful Budget Bill.”

More from the People's Tribune