SRO

Single Room Occupancy hotels (SROs) or Residential Hotels are a vital part of San Franciscos housing stock and have been throughout the citys history. A typical SRO is a single 810 foot room with shared toilets and showers down the hallway. San Francisco has hundreds of SRO hotels that are home to more than 30,000 tenants or approximately 5% of the city. Traditionally SROs were populated by low-wage workers, transient laborers and recent immigrants. One of the principal causes of the widespread homelessness endemic in the United States today was the wave of SRO hotel demolition that swept the country during the second half of the 20th Century. Supervisors Mar, Wiener and Cohen listened to testimony that San Franciscos senior population will increase by 90,000 in 20 years. Supervisor Mar questioned the differences between SROs that are owned by nonprofits and privately funded. Supervisor Cohen questioned who is responsible for maintaining private SROs versus nonprofits. One public comment claimed nonprofit SROs are not much better than private SROs. There are 208 SROs in the Tenderloin. Chinatowns housing stock is 60% SROs and many have communal kitchens. The Mission has 50 SROs of which 45 are private buildings. The Mission Hotel is the largest SRO in San Francisco, and the majority of the SROs are five floors or less. Bedbugs, unsanitary bathrooms and electrical problems are the most common issues facing seniors living in SROs. 48% of survey respondents complained of not having grab bars in their bathrooms. 53% said they do not have access to a community kitchen. The Committee also discussed in-home supportive services, lack of private bathrooms, unusable elevators, unsanitary bathrooms and safety issues (drugs, physical violence and lack of staff training). Numerous public comments discussed the substandard living conditions including mold, mice, water damage and rampant drug use. Many photos were shown during the hearing displaying small room sizes, health issues and unsanitary conditions. However, one public comment argued, The pictures dont tell the whole story.