High Rents Keep S.F. Homeless on the Street, Various Ties Keep Them Here

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Catherine Mary Kelliher: “I thought the rent was expensive … but hindsight’s 20/20,” speaking of her nearly $1,000-a-month apartment that she was evicted from. “I would like affordable housing.” Photo by Lola M. Chavez/Mission Local

By Laura Wenus, Mission Local

Many people living on the streets know that the only exit from homelessness is finding a home. But in a city with exorbitant rents, that becomes trickier than simply getting a job and submitting an application. Some already work, and others are on a fixed income. And leaving altogether often isn’t a viable alternative.

Catherine Mary Kelliher is living under the overpass in an area known as “the Hairball” with some 10 other of the city’s estimated 6,500 to 10,000 homeless. Kelliher was evicted from her apartment near St. Luke’s hospital, where she had lived since 2009, in late 2015. At the time, she had been paying around $1,000 a month to rent a small one-bedroom.

Read the complete story at Mission Local. 
 

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