Family that fled El Salvador struggles to find housing in San Francisco
Homelessness is often a serious consequence for immigrant families, especially those who come to San Francisco because of its designation as a sanctuary city.
On some afternoons, Karla Margarita Solito Sorto spends hours in a 24-hour laundromat in San Francisco's Mission District, washing load after load for her family of six. It would be a daunting task for anyone, but for her it is something of a respite.
"I know that sometimes it's really hard to go up and down in the cold. Here, I am a little safer," Solito Sorto said as she folded stacks of her twin daughter's clothes.
Her family fled El Salvador some six months ago and came to San Francisco, where they were attracted by the promise of protection under the city's designation as a sanctuary city. But her four children and her husband had nowhere to go, and have been homeless since they arrived. They sought help from the city, and were placed in homeless shelter for families inside Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8 Community School.
"It's an emergency shelter. It isn't meant to be long term," Solito Sorto said. "I've been here with my family for six months. I've looked for every way to get out of here, but there's nothing."
Even though the shelter is more appealing than sleeping with her four children on the streets, it isn't without major challenges. Every day, families must leave at 6 a.m. to accommodate the school's staff and students. They aren't allowed back in until the evening and are provided with one meal a day and quick access to shower.
Solito Sorto's children attend school, but often fall asleep in class. She has looked for work cleaning homes and her husband has tried to pick up construction jobs in Oakland, but she said opportunities are few and far between.
Spending the daytime hours on the street means using public parks as a place to lay down and rest, or walking a few blocks to a local church in hopes that they can use their restrooms.
Recently, Solito Sorto said multiple people inside the shelter got very sick, including her own daughter who ended up hospitalized with an infection. The family was terrified to return afterward for fear of the illness spreading to the rest of the children.
"It as really difficult because while my daughter was in the hospital and I was with her, my husband was with our other three kids," she explained. "They had to ask a man from the church for help and who let them stay in a van because the kids were scared to go back to the shelter."
Solito Sorto said she's tried to find more suitable housing through the city without any luck, and advocates like Matt Alexander of Faith In Action say they are not alone.
"What we're seeing is that families are going to the access point and they're being told there's no resources. We can't help you," Alexander said. "I mean they're left on the street. That's happened over and over again."
Space in the city's designated family shelters is limited, and the city's Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing pointed to a strain on the system because of increased demand.
"HSH is preparing to expand our emergency hotel vouchers so that we have more to offer families while they wait for a spot in our family shelters. We are also expanding housing assistance for families so that they can move out of shelter more efficiently, end their homelessness and make space for families on the waiting list," said the department, in a statement to KPIX.
Alexander and others say the system is difficult to navigate, particularly for immigrant families that have fewer resources.
"You go through this 90-minute intake process and at the end of the time they said to the families you haven't been homeless for long enough. You don't have enough points in the system. Here are some Muni tokens. Good luck."
A little luck is what Solito Sorto is hoping for, along with some help from the city.
"I would just ask a sanctuary city like this -- because that's why we came here, to be more protected -- just for a place for us and for a little support," she said.