First-of-its-Kind Report Released on Secondary Unit Households in San Francisco

 

San Francisco - The shadow rental market of unauthorized secondary units in San Francisco serves as a critical source of affordable housing for immigrant working class families, according to a report released today by the Asian Law Caucus (ALC).  Based on surveys conducted in the Excelsior, "Our Hidden Communities" reveals a thriving tenant community with a distinctive social, economic, racial and ethnic character who rely on the lower rental price point of secondary units to keep San Francisco as their home.

 

According to the report, tenants comprise 69.8% of the Excelsior population, with half of these tenants living in secondary units (also known as in-law units).  The findings challenge Census data and the traditional view of the Excelsior as a neighborhood of homeowners.

 

The report describes residents of secondary units in the Excelsior as predominately foreign born, limited English proficient, and of Asian and Latino descent.  Their households will tend to include children and fall in the very low to extremely low income bracket.  They will also pay rent at a 34% discount of the going rate.

 

"ALC's report confirms that secondary units serve a critical need for immigrant families," said John Avalos, Supervisor of District 11, where the Excelsior is located.  "We have already lost so many families and San Francisco now has the least children of any other major city in the country.  This report highlights the need to preserve secondary units as a source of affordable housing and to ensure habitability and protections for the families living in them.  We also know that the rent from these 'in-law' units may also provide the critical income for many struggling homeowners to be able to keep their homes."

 

The report notes that 28.3% of secondary units do not have proper heating, and an estimated 50-100 units are eliminated every year.

 

"Because most secondary units were constructed without city authorization, tenants are more likely to be subject to substandard housing conditions and evictions," said Omar Calimbas, Senior Staff Attorney at the Asian Law Caucus.

 

Efforts in the past four decades to bring secondary units into regulation have failed, but with the current crisis in affordable housing and the exodus of working families from the city, several city legislators are now renewing efforts to legitimate these units.

 

Community advocates, including Causa Justa :: Just Cause, Chinese Progressive Association, Coleman Advocates, the Filipino Community Center and PODER (People Organizing to Demand Environmental & Economic Rights),  have also drafted a set of principles to be embraced as policymakers move forward.  One of the driving principles is to ensure that the voices of the immigrant communities who rely on secondary units be brought to bear in shaping new legislation.

 

To view the report and infographic, click here and here.

 

   

  

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Visit: www.asianlawcaucus.org