Keeping San Franciscans Housed: The Power of Access to Justice

“You’d be surprised how quickly your life can turn upside down,” one of our clients named Lina (not her real name) told me a few months ago. She was the primary breadwinner in her family and a productive member of society, but the unexpected side effects of a prescribed medication rendered her disabled and bedridden. She was terminated from her job and started to get abused by her partner. Without her income she was broke, had no help to care for her young daughter, and was harassed by her in-laws. Lina was on the literal brink of homelessness.

In a city as expensive as San Francisco, sudden loss of income and threats to safety can easily trigger homelessness. Many tenants have no backup plan – no savings to cushion the blow, no family home to return to. And faced with the legal challenges like Lina experienced, they are often navigating the legal system alone. In fact, 90% of domestic violence survivors in San Francisco are self-represented.

Like so many others, Lina struggled to get help. She tried the police, the courts, other agencies – everyone was overwhelmed or couldn’t help. Fortunately, someone referred her to Open Door Legal and we helped her secure child support, defeat a bogus restraining order filed against her by her in-laws, and keep her housing. She and her daughter are still housed to this day.

Lina’s story breaks a common misconception about homelessness: many of the people on our streets are not there because of drugs or mental health issues; these issues tend to develop after they become homeless.In fact, about half of people are homeless due to an unaddressed legal issue and 43% of homeless families are fleeing violence – about double the number who are homeless due to an eviction. 74% of the legal issues that cause homelessness are “general civil” legal issues, everything from wage theft to child support to constructive evictions, and ensuring everyone at risk of homelessness can access those services is what our new partnership with HSH is about.

Additionally, attorneys enforce basic habitability standards that keep housing safe and livable. Too often, low-income tenants endure mold, rodent infestations, broken plumbing, or no heat because they fear retaliation or do not know their rights. Without legal support, a tenant may self-evict onto the street rather than fight. Legal aid lawyers document code violations, compel repairs, and defend against retaliatory eviction—stabilizing housing before dangerous conditions force families out.

Legal advocates also prevent illegal income loss. One in five California minimum wage workers have part of their wages stolen every year, and the sudden loss of expected income can easily trigger homelessness. The same goes for public benefit appeals and denials, where disability income is wrongly terminated, housing vouchers are lost, or even when the federal government tries to seize assets by claiming they “overpaid” benefits.

Perhaps most importantly, access to justice ensures safety. A seminal study found that legal aid is the only intervention effective at domestic violence incidence rates, an important finding given that domestic violence is by far the number one cause of homelessness for women. Attorneys secure or defend restraining orders for survivors, enforce child support claims, protect children, and prevent asset theft in divorce proceedings.

Together, these interventions demonstrate that civil legal aid is not merely about resolving disputes—it is frontline homelessness prevention. “Without [Open Door Legal], My daughter and I would be living on the streets,” Lina said. By partnering with the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, we can ensure that residents like Lina never have to stand at the edge of homelessness alone.

The Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) is excited to partner with Open Door Legal to help people like Lina. We understand that one of the significant challenges faced by individuals facing or experiencing homelessness is access to legal services. HSH is committed to breaking down barriers to critical legal services through a generous grant to Open Door Legal.

This funding for civil legal services, combined with financial assistance is core to HSH’s homelessness prevention strategy. Legal services play an important role in the fight against homelessness and are a tool in the city’s homelessness responses system. By addressing the legal challenges faced by people struggling with homelessness, HSH believes that Open Door Legal not only provides essential services but also advocates for systemic changes that can lead to sustainable housing and a brighter future for individuals and families. This HSH funding for Open Door Legal will make the path towards equitable housing for individuals facing homelessness become more achievable while contributing to HSH’s mission to make homelessness rare, brief and one-time.

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Shireen McSpadden is the Executive Director of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing for the City of San Francisco. Adrian Tirtanadi is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Open Door Legal.