San Francisco mom, kids sleep in car as SFMTA plans to limit RV parking to install bike lane

LIVING IN RVS PARKED CLOSE TO LAKE MERCED HILL WILL SOON FACE PARKING RESTRICTIONS, PART OF A PLANT TO MAKE WAY FOR IMPROVEMENTS ALONG WINSTON DRIVE. DAN: THE CITY WANTS TO MAKE STREETS SAFER FOR PEDESTRIANS AND BICYCLISTS. LUZ PENA SPOKE WITH PEOPLE IN THIS AREA AND SHE IS HOME -- EVER THE STORY. >> WE MET MULTIPLE FAMILIES WHO LIVE ON WINSTON DRIVE, THEY SAID THAT THEY ENDED UP IN THESE RVS DURING THE PANDEMIC AFTER LOSING THEIR JOBS ARE GETTING HOURS CUT. AND NOT BEING ABLE TO PAY RENT. >> FOR THE PAST YEAR, NELLIE AND HER TWO KIDS HAVE MADE THIS RV THEIR HOME. >> I SLEEP HERE WITH MY TWO KIDS AND DOG. >> SHE SAID IT WASN'T ALWAYS LIKE THIS. THEY RENTED OUT A ROOM FOR $1300 IN THE MISSION DISTRICT. >> THE RENT IS TOO MUCH MONEY, AND I WAS UNABLE TO WORK, SO MY CHECK WAS ONLY 200, 300. I WORKED IN HOUSEKEEPING. IN A MOTEL. >> AT NIGHT, SHE HUGS HER TWO KIDS AND PRAYS FOR AMERICA. >> SHE SAYS MOM, CAN WE PRAY? AND THEN YOU FALL ASLEEP. >> THIS SEVEN-YEAR-OLD HAS A HARD TIME FALLING ASLEEP. >> BECAUSE SOMETIMES THE LIGHTS OF THE CARS MAKE ME -- MAKE NOISE, AND I DON'T SLEEP GOOD. >> IT'S TOO LOUD TO GO TO SLEEP? ? -- DO YOU GET SCARED? >> I ONLY GET SCARED WHEN THE WINDOW IS OPEN. >> HER FAMILY STORY IS ONE OF AT LEAST 50 WHO LIVE ALONG WINSTON DRIVE AND LAKE MERCED BOULEVARD IN RVS. THESE FLYERS ARE LOOMING OVER THEM. NEXT MONTH, THEY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PARK HERE ON WEEKDAYS FOR MORE THAN FOUR HOURS. >> IMPLEMENTING THE LIMIT IS DISPLACING THEM. >> WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELESSNESS AND SUPPORTIVE HOUSING FOR OVER A YEAR TO FIND PERMANENT HOUSING SOLUTIONS FOR THESE FAMILIES AND FIND SAFE PARKING SIGNS FOR THOSE THAT NEED MORE TIME TO GET THEIR FOOTING. >> THE SUPERVISOR REPRESENTS THIS DISTRICT AND HER OFFICE SAYS THAT THEY HAVE BEEN WORKING ON HELPING THESE FAMILIES. THE PARKING RESTRICTIONS ARE COMING IN BECAUSE SFMTA IS PLANNING TO BEGIN CONSTRUCTION OF A BIKE LANE, ALL PART OF A QUICK BUILD PEDESTRIAN AND BIKE SAFETY PROJECT. >> WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT SITES, TRYING TO PUSH FOR OTHER RESOURCES, TRYING TO GET ASSESSMENTS DONE. ALL OF THESE THINGS WE HAVE BEEN DOING. WE ALSO NEED THAT SENSE OF URGENCY FROM THE CITY DEPARTMENTS. THIS IS A PUBLIC HEALTH AND PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUE. >> THE SFMTA SAID IN PART WE ARE FOCUSING OUR EFFORTS WITH SERVICES BEYOND SHELTER OPPORTUNITIES, AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED. WE ARE STILL DISCUSSING THE POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS WITH THE PROJECT TEAM AND CITY PARTNERS, WHICH WILL BEST FIT THE NEEDS OF THOSE WHO MAY BE IMPACTED. THE SFMTA SAYS THEY WILL KEEP -- GIVE THESE FAMILIES A TWO-WEEK HEADS UP, BUT TIME IS TICKING. NELLY TRIES TO STAY STRONG, BUT EVERY DAY IS GETTING HARDER. IN SPANISH, SHE SAYS THEY ARE PRAYING TO GOD FOR HELP. [SPEAKING SPANISH] >> TODAY, I SPOKE WITH HER TO CHECK ON HER AND SHE IS NO LONGER IN THE RV. SHE COULD NOT IT ANYMORE. THEY PACKED THEIR BAGS AND SLEPT IN HER CAR WITH HER TWO KIDS, THEY ARE HOMELESS. AMA:

Channel: ABC7 News Bay Area

Views: 5,786

Keywords: news, abc, abc7news, RV parking site, san francisco, lake merced, bike line, sfmta, Winston Drive rvs, rv homeless, bike lane lake merced, new bike line rvs san francisco, Supervisor Myna Melgar, jen low, rv encampment

Id: eW7jSLv5JKA

Length: 4min 13sec (253 seconds)

Published: Wed Aug 02 2023