San Francisco Chronicle, by Mallory Moench
After a fire tore through a Victorian on Shotwell Street in the Mission, the building — which used to house six seniors in a residential care home — sat empty for six years.
Small residential care facilities like the one at 628 Shotwell St. are disappearing at an alarming rate in San Francisco, putting vulnerable seniors and adults with disabilities, mental illness or addiction at risk of homelessness with little access to needed treatment services.
In San Francisco, the number of assisted living facilities for seniors and adults with disabilities dropped 38% since 2012, with beds dropping 17%, according to city reports. Hardest hit were the smallest facilities serving low-income residents. At least 100 people were waiting to get a spot in a facility, according to the most recent count.