SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — More problems for homeless RV owners in San Francisco who are still looking for a place to land.
They were asked to leave a location and ended up in the parking lot of the Pomeroy Community Center – where problems arise for employees and visitors.
Residents of mobile homes on San Francisco’s Winston Drive were recently asked to leave the area. Many of them are now parking on Zoo Road, where a community center for disabled seniors and children is located.
At the Pomeroy Center in San Francisco, the largest recreation and rehabilitation center for mentally disabled children and adults, staff are increasingly concerned about the number of homeless people housed in mobile homes parked outside.
“They’re blocking the ramp a little bit. We have two handicap-accessible ramps on that side, and it’s made access a little more difficult, and there’s significantly less parking for our employees. We’ve lost 25 parking spaces for our employees,” said Jillian Flannery of the Pomeroy Center.
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Last Thursday, the SFMTA began implementing a four-hour parking limit on Winston Drive, forcing many RV residents to find other places to park for longer periods.
Many RVs have moved to Zoo Road, where the Pomeroy Center is located. The only parking rule is to move the vehicles while the street is being cleaned. One of the RV residents is Jamilet Lira.
Lira has lived in her RV with her two grown sons for three years. The family moved from Winston Drive to Zoo Road and says they like it much better there.
“We really like it here because it is safe. It is not loud, there is no noise. We wish they would let us stay here,” said Lira.
Lira said the city offered her housing, but she declined. She said after an accident, she needed her family nearby to help her, and the city’s housing was just for her.
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“I had to live alone, but I can’t do that,” Lira said.
The Pomeroy Center says it sympathizes with the families and even offered to help with Thursday’s food distribution, but wants the city to find a solution.
“I saw some kids down there. They were playing in the middle of the street. They almost got hit by a car. The ball went out. That’s just not a very safe place for young children,” Flannery said. “We’re really hoping the city will come up with a compassionate plan that will benefit both the Pomeroy Center and the RV residents.”
A statement from the mayor’s office said RVs should not be parked along Zoo Road:
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“The Mayor’s Office is actively working with city departments, including SFMTA and HSH, on next steps for this site. We are not pursuing any proposed permit system that would allow vehicles to remain on the site in the public right-of-way on Zoo Road or elsewhere.”
In the meantime, visitors to the center hope for a solution soon.
“It’s very disruptive for people who have to come here because it’s kind of an obstacle. They have to go around it,” said San Francisco resident Larry Lai.
According to the city’s Department of Homelessness and Assisted Housing, “HSH hosted an Outreach Fair just on June 27, and as a result, 23 households, including children and families, were able to exit their vehicles and have now successfully secured housing,” but many say they are still waiting for housing.
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