“I worked at San Francisco Department of Public Works for seven years until a refrigerator fell on me [at work]. The city said I was OK to work, though, and they transferred me to SFO to jackhammer runways. That’s when my back gave out. The city claimed I was quitting even though I couldn’t walk, so they denied me my pension.

I’ve been living on disability since then. For the last few years, I’ve lived in a rented house in Bayview with six other family members. My rent was low thanks to Section 8.

Last year, a couple new million dollar condos went up across the street. My landlord, who had just left prison, decided he could make a few more bucks and doubled the rent. Section 8 actually passed through the increase to me, so my rent quadrupled in one month.

There’s no way I could have paid the new rent. It’s more than my disability check. There’s nowhere else I could have gone. I’ve lived in San Francisco since I was 3 years old. You look for places and they aren’t there no more. They tearing it down.

Fortunately, I heard about Open Door Legal through someone I know. They saved my home. Now, I only have to pay $90/mo. I would be homeless now without their help.”

Photography © Lauren Lombard