PRESS RELEASE
From the Affordable HomeOwnership
Alliance
May 29, 2001
Followup or questions to Adria Pulizzano 415-861-0777
SF’s HomeOwnership Policies Disproportionately Hurt Minorities and
Immigrants
“San Francisco’s policy of limiting homeownership
opportunities adversely and disproportionately affects minorities and recent
immigrants who have not yet established their economic base”, charged Sarosh
Kumana, President of the Affordable HomeOwnership Alliance (AHA), a
non-partisan homeownership advocacy group. AHA is committed to increase SF’s
homeownership rate, currently 34%, up to the national average of 68% by the
year 2010.
“The lack of a coherent, inclusive and effective
homeownership policy has resulted in San Francisco having the lowest
homeownership rate of any US city of comparable size”, he said. “While I would
not go so far as to characterize SF’s homeownership policy as deliberately
racist and exclusionary, recent immigrants and ethnic minorities have been
disproportionately prevented from achieving the American dream of homeownership
in San Francisco.“
A Chamber of Commerce poll, released May 10, 2001 found that
the greatest problem facing San Francisco residents was the lack of affordable
ownership housing.
“The McGoldrick legislation, to be discussed by the Board on
May 29, 2001 only permits 200-400 tenants to become homeowners every year. That
is a droplet, and we need a flood. At these rates, it would take 500 years for
even half of SF tenants to become homeowners. Most people can’t wait that
long,” Kumana quipped. “Bring down the Berlin Wall against homeownership, so all
San Franciscans can enjoy the emotional security and financial empowerment of
homeownership.”
Kumana challenged city policymakers to enact legislation
removing archaic barriers against widespread property ownership, and thereby
permit tens of thousands of San Franciscans to achieve their aspiration of
affordable homeownership by allowing all tenants to buy the apartments they
live in.
“Residents are being forced to leave the City when they seek
homeownership”, he said. “Preventing homeownership disempowers immigrants who
came to our country full of hope to accomplish the American dream of
homeownership. It is a cruel hoax to call San Francisco a city of refuge, and
then condemn those who come here to a life of perpetual rent-slavery.”
“Far be it from me to accuse San Francisco of
anti-homeownership policies, historically perpetrated by closet elitists and
racists, but it’s hard to ignore the facts,” he said.
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