San Francisco proposal putting 2-hour limit on RV parking closer to passing
On Wednesday, a San Francisco ordinance to ban people from living in their RVs passed a major hurdle. It would put a two-hour parking limit on oversized vehicles on city streets.
Hamilton has parked his RV in a spot near Lake Merced for the last two years.
"It's home," he said. "My home. I feel at home."
He used to share an apartment with a roommate, but he said he lost everything after a fire. He worked hard to rebuild his life and put a lot of time into fixing up this RV.
"Just like a studio," Hamilton said. "It could be old outside, but inside it's comfy."
He has a bathroom, kitchen, and a living area with everything he needs.
"I got an Xbox," he said. "I got a TV. I got a stereo system."
He said living in an RV gives him independence, without relying on government services. He's worried about what will happen to him when he has to comply with the two-hour limit on RV parking in 12 months. According to the Coalition on Homelessness, there are roughly 430 RV households and only 65 family housing subsidies.
"I got my roof," said Hamilton. "They want to take our roof off and put us on the streets? To do what?"
Mayor Daniel Lurie said the ban combines compassion with accountability. District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar was a co-sponsor of the legislation.
"I do not believe in a progressive city with the resources that we have at looking the other way while people live in the public right of way, which we maintain by the way, without services," said Supervisor Myrna Melgar. "Without sewer, without water, without electricity, without garbage is a humane thing."
Hamilton, though, said he does his part to encourage his RV neighbors to keep the area clean. While this situation isn't perfect, it's the only place he can afford to call home.
"Just go to work every day and come back here," he said. "That's my life."
