California Today

Built to Fail: Black Housing in SF

10 June 2026 15:44

This investigation examines the systemic failure of federal housing policies for Black residents in San Francisco, from urban renewal's destruction of the Fillmore district to broken promises of cooperatives like King-Garvey. - Urban renewal from 1968-1978 bulldozed the Fillmore, displacing thousands and destroying Black-owned businesses.

- HUD's limited-equity cooperatives, meant to provide ownership, deteriorated with poor ratings and over $44 million in repairs. - Section 3 job and contracting requirements were not effectively enforced.

- San Francisco's Black population fell from 13.4% in 1970 to 5.4% in 2020 due to systemic displacement. The article concludes that the housing crisis for Black San Franciscans is a continuation of decades of broken promises and policies that prioritized developers over residents.

Tags

FillmoreSan Franciscohousingpoliticshistoryurban renewalVentura CountySan Francisco CountyLocal