My 96year old landlord died and her niece from So. California inherited the building and began the first of evictions within days of becoming the new owner. Two months later she approached another tenant with a buyout, which the tenant declined and this was followed 12 wks later by an Ellis Act Eviction notice to all. I have lived here for 30 years, raised my son here who also lives with me, and took care of the new owner's aunt for the last 5 years of her life. I have worked as a nurse in the community, continue to volunteer at the Tel Hi Neighborhood Center and both my son and I aid our elderly neighbors by shopping, carrying groceries, bringing soup to them when ill, and checking in on them. We are a community and this year 15 other neighbors on our street are also being Ellis acted out of their homes. Our community is being destroyed by greed. Three additional buildings on our street are now vacation rentals or short term corporate rentals, those who have no commitment to being a part of our community. My Italian neighbor Diego, 78 years old, 30 years in his North Beach apartment is also being ellised out. An Italian American in what the City so proudly calls Little Italy. We don't want to leave our homes, our neighborhood, our neighbors and friends, our nearby doctors offices, our church, our meeting place in Washington Square, the Piazza, the center of our lives. We cannot even sign up on "wait lists" as waitlists for affordable housing are closed, have been closed for over 5 years in many places. Please call a moratorium on evictions, at least until we can find housing in our neighborhoods. At this stage in life, this is when we most need our community that we have built over the years, the familiar, the stability of a traditional neighborhood of generosity and kindness.
