San Francisco

RVs, other vehicles moved from Zoo Road in San Francisco

NBC Universal, Inc.

Tuesday was moving day for people in RVs and other vehicles that have been parked outside the San Francisco Zoo.

The city gave the group of more than a dozen vans, camper trailers and motorhomes a midnight deadline to move.

Eusebia Martinez and 11 other members of her family have been living in a trailer and a motorhome parked next to it. She said when her family first got to the area, it was impossible to find housing in the city or nearby.

Tuesday was moving day for people in RVs and other vehicles that have been parked outside the San Francisco Zoo. Terry McSweeney reports.

She said it all depends on what you can earn in the city. If you have a good job, then you can afford to get a place to live. But because she just arrived, she could not earn enough to afford an apartment.

Her 19-year-old son Alonso said it's a constant struggle to move their mobile homes from week to week. He said if they don't move on time, they receive tickets that are expensive, often more than what they make in a week.

The city said Tuesday may be the last time they have to move.

According to the city's homeless outreach teams, the Martinez family is among 22 families near the zoo that have accepted subsidized housing.

Tuesday was moving day for people in RVs and other vehicles that have been parked outside the San Francisco Zoo. Sergio Quintana reports.

"About 60 folks total with the kids included," homeless outreach team member Jose Torres said. "That's how many we have helped. Not everybody is accepting the rapid rehousing because it's a subsidy. It's not supportive housing. It's not permanent."

For families like the Martinez family, the rapid rehousing program will help pay for an apartment at Park Merced for two to three years. It's an opportunity for the family to have some stability as they figure out their next steps.

Torres said the Martinez family is among migrants from Central and South America who are seeking asylum in the U.S. Many of the residents in the RV communities are also asylum seekers.

"What we have encountered, especially with these families at Lake Merced, Winston, Zoo Road now, is that family wants to stay around the community that they know," Torres said.

The city's efforts to enforce parking in neighborhoods will continue. Officials said they will cite illegally parked vehicles and can tow them if they're inoperable or have expired registrations.

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