Company reverses decision that could have forced San Francisco tenants out of building
The tenants of a Mission District apartment building thought they would be forced out of their homes, but in a sudden turn of events, they found out Wednesday they would be able to stay.
Walking into the apartment on César Chavez Street is like taking a trip back in time.
"We moved here in 1942, which was the start of World War II, and I've lived here for 80 years," said resident Helen Byrnes.
It was Byrnes, her two sisters and her father who moved into the apartment back then. Her mother passed in 1937.
In the last 80 years, the apartment has been full of life and unfortunately death.
"Wonderful memories," Byrnes said. "Some bad but most of them wonderful memories."
After her father passed, she lived there with her sister. It was Byrnes who took care of her sibling until she passed.
Now at the age of 94, she has a daughter who she was never able to have. Cecilia Matias lives next door and has become much more than a neighbor.
"She took care of her sister and her father, and now it's her turn for me to take care of her," Matias said. "So that's why I want to make sure she stays where she grew up."
Just like her dad and sisters, the Mission District apartment is where Byrnes wanted to live the rest of her life, and she nearly missed out on that chance when a real estate investor bought the building. The plan was to get the current tenants out and raise the rent or sell a vacant building, but the tenants fought off the eviction attempt.
"It means the world to me," Byrnes said. "Not just for me but for the other people in the building."
And Byrnes and Matias will continue to make special memories in their home sweet home.
"Humanity is family," Matias said. "No matter what you see, you don't have to be blood. We are together. I told her that through thick and thin."
The property company released a statement explaining their decision to allow the tenants to stay.
Daniel Mytels wrote, "While the initial decision to purchase a rental property was made with the intention of investment, the goals for this property have since changed – with a focus on people over profits. Upon deep reflection of the situation, we have made the decision to allow the residents of to stay.
When we learned of 94-year-old Helen Byrne's long history in this building and saw her new health condition and felt her deep community there, we decided we had to commit to keeping Ms. Byrne and the other residents in their homes. In the coming weeks, we will work out the specific details and next steps regarding the future of this property and we will make every effort to ensure that residents can stay in their homes long-term.
While we feel strongly that this is the right thing to do, we think it is equally important to note that these renters were offered very generous buyout offers, and the current combined rent of the four units - $3800 – is not nearly enough to cover even basic operating costs including property taxes, maintenance, insurance, water, trash pickup and recycling for this San Francisco property. Even with that indisputable financial reality, we still believe some decisions in life go beyond the bottom line.
We live in a world that can feel deeply divided, and ultimately, it's our humanity that brings us together. It is our hope and our belief, that we have demonstrated our commitment to community."
