Over the last three years, San Francisco and California have provided rent relief funding for
tenants during the pandemic. Now that the City and State Emergency Orders have been lifted, the program will begin winding down in 2023. Rent relief funding has been a lifeline for
tenants, small businesses, small property owners, and nonprofit affordable housing providers,
who do not have as much access to resources as corporate property owners.
That is why Supervisor Connie Chan authored and passed a resolution urging the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development to prioritize tenants and small property landlords, as well as nonprofit housing providers, in their rent relief program and provide program information in multiple languages. As a result, about 45% of rent payments went to supporting tenants with small property landlords, and 30% went to permanent supportive housing and affordable housing units.
In 2022, she also co-sponsored the first Union-At-Home legislation to allow tenant organizing activities in buildings with five or more rental units. This was in response to concerns raised by tenants of buildings owned by corporate landlords, who refused to negotiate rent relief or tenant rights issues during the pandemic.
Now, she is working on legislation to further strengthen the Union-At-Home ordinance which will
strengthen tenants’ ability to form a union and negotiate their rights with landlords.