May 29, 2024

After an extensive organizing battle, Plaza East residents are celebrating a significant victory today! For years, tenant have been fighting for real and meaningful repairs without displacing tenants, linked to a long struggle against Black displacement from San Francisco.

Plaza East, an historically Black public housing community in the Fillmore, was redeveloped in 2007, which resulted in the loss of many units and the displacement of 65 households, Only 20% of tenants returned. Now, less than 20 years later, significant rehab is needed, but the City plan was to build luxury housing towers on the site to pay for essential repairs. Tenants and residents removed as teenagers in the first rehab have been organizing to demand that any additional units be for displaced tenants, to ensure right of return for all displaced tenants, and to ensure that real and long-term fixes are made.

Recently. Plaza East Resident Leaders meeting with a top HUD official, and now the Housing Authority has been compelled to fulfill their critical demands. This is a significant victory for the residents, marking the fresh start they have long sought, with an immediate focus on improving their current living conditions. The tenants of Plaza East, in collaboration with the Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco and their allies, have been actively organizing to ensure the SFHA adheres to its commitments, which include:

  • Removing MBS, and its affiliates and subsidiaries, from continued, future involvement in Plaza East, including its redevelopment.

  • Restarting the application to HUD to demolish and redevelop Plaza East, with full transparency and meaningful resident consultation and participation.

  • Allocating a minimum of $400,000 per year, for a period of not less than 3 years, for resident programs and services to benefit Plaza East residents and resident business enterprises.

  • Expending a minimum of $7 million dollars in new capital investments at Plaza East, which includes contributions from the city of San Francisco, to address the backlog of repairs and capital needs, with full transparency and accountability to the residents of Plaza East.

  • Ensuring meaningful resident consultation and participation on all aspects of the repair, management, and redevelopment of Plaza East.