A new report says Open Door Legal has paid dividends in Bayview-Hunters Point — and now it wants city support to expand
Reggie Daniels lived with his grandmother for nearly all his life and never doubted that he and his sister would one day inherit her house in Bayview-Hunters Point.
Daniels and his sister found Open Door Legal, which represented them in a two-year legal process — Daniels’ attorneys believed his grandmother was coerced by her children to rewrite the will’s terms — that ended in a settlement and allowed them to stay housed, he said. The nonprofit argues that providing pro bono legal help to those whose income qualifies for it in every San Francisco neighborhood could make a sizable dent in homelessness citywide. The idea is that many people are at risk of homelessness because they face legal problems before losing their access to housing — and either could not receive legal help or never sought it.
“We keep kind of doubling down on things that may not be the most effective use of resources, and what Open Door Legal is offering doesn’t actually ask for a lot of resources,” Engardio said. “It seems a reasonable experiment, but based on some actual success.” San Francisco has slowly adopted a right to counsel in different stages, offering it to tenants facing eviction and — as of a 2022 ballot measure — to victims of domestic violence.
Campus protests hearten San Franciscans with family in Gaza Local residents said their families living through the conflict are grateful for demonstrators raising awareness In short, the researchers found that homelessness decreased 47% in District 10 between 2011 and 2022 but increased by more than 50% across the rest of the city during the same time period. Had Open Door Legal not existed in District 10, the researchers estimated homelessness would have risen there by about 20%.
“Instead, it suggests that enhancing access to civil justice can effectively address homelessness, a viewpoint that resonates with broader economic principles emphasizing the role of institutional structures in economic welfare,” the paper states. Budget deficit brewingEven with evidence of cost efficiency, winning support for a program expansion at a time when The City is facing a major budget deficit could be challenging. Open Door Legal will not be the only nonprofit asking for help, and The City’s precarious fiscal position means it will be trying to rein in spending — not add to it.Its backers said they hope that the building body of research proves irrefutable.
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