Mr Ji and his wife have lived in the same apartment building on the
edge of China Town for 18 years. Ten years ago, their Landlord, San
Francisco City College, decided it was time to reclaim the space.
All
17 poor families living there – including many disabled elderly who
speak no English and cannot imagine another life beyond China Town –
were offered money and told to leave.
If you think this is
just another sob story about the recession – displaced immigrants
thrown out of their homes onto the cold mean streets -- guess again. Ji
and his neighbors decided they had to do something...something that had
never been done before.
They managed to keep their apartment
by having the San Francisco Community Land Trust buy the land under the
building and sell them back their remodeled apartments at an affordable
rate.
Now they own their building and have formed a
cooperative that will allow them to live indefinitely in China Town. At
a time when San Francisco ranks top among cities for unaffordable rent,
city officials say 53 Columbus Street Cooperative is a model for
helping the poor hold onto affordable living in San Francisco.
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