A month ago, many of us woke up to terrifying news.
In the early hours of May 13, a fire broke out at 285 Turk Street, one of SFCLT’s residential properties in the Tenderloin. Forty households and two commercial tenants were impacted, and residents were forced to leave their homes in the middle of the night as emergency responders worked to contain the fire.
In moments like these, fear and uncertainty can feel overwhelming. For residents, it meant not knowing when they would be able to return home. For staff, it meant asking a simple but urgent question: How do we make sure our neighbors are cared for?
The answer, once again, has been community.
From the moment the fire occurred, SFCLT staff, property management, emergency response agencies, City partners, and the Red Cross mobilized to support impacted residents. We worked to secure temporary shelter, connect residents to services and resources, restore building systems, assess damage, and begin planning for recovery.
Thankfully, no one was seriously injured. And while the damage was significant, it was not as extensive as we initially feared. Some residents were able to return home relatively quickly, and we have continued making progress toward restoring the building and supporting those who remain displaced. At least ten units will require substantial rehabilitation, and rebuilding efforts are now underway.
Over the past month, our team has been working around the clock to ensure residents’ needs are met and to do everything possible to help families return home safely and as quickly as possible. We have coordinated relocation support, connected residents to case management and financial assistance, provided rent and utility relief, and worked closely with affordable housing partners across the city to identify temporary housing opportunities for displaced households.
What has inspired us most, however, is the extraordinary solidarity we have witnessed.
Affordable housing providers, community development organizations, City agencies, and housing advocates immediately reached out to ask how they could help. Multiple housing organizations offered temporary accommodations and other resources for residents while long-term recovery plans are developed.
Perhaps most moving has been the response from within the SFCLT community itself.
Residents at Pigeon Palace organized a major contribution to support their neighbors at 285 Turk. It was a powerful reminder that community ownership is about much more than buildings. It is about people looking out for one another. It is about recognizing that when one part of our community is hurting, all of us have a role to play in helping each other recover.
That spirit of mutual aid and solidarity is what makes community land trusts so special. We preserve housing, but we also help create communities where people know they are not alone.
To help meet the immediate needs of displaced residents, SFCLT established a GoFundMe that provides direct support to impacted households. The funds help cover urgent expenses, essential items, and the many unexpected costs that come with being displaced from your home.
If you are able, we hope you will make a contribution: Support displaced families at 285 Turk.
There is still a long road ahead. Rebuilding will take time, and many residents are still navigating the disruption and uncertainty that comes with being displaced from home.
But over the past month, we’ve been reminded of something powerful: community is not an abstract idea. It’s the resident checking in on a neighbor. It’s affordable housing partners offering vacant units. It’s staff spending late nights helping people navigate paperwork and relocation. It’s residents at another SFCLT property digging into their own pockets to support families they’ve never met.
To everyone who has donated, offered resources, checked in on residents, or simply reached out with words of support: thank you. Your generosity has helped carry this community through a difficult month, and it will continue to sustain us in the months ahead.