The Lees are an elderly immigrant couple who live with their disabled adult daughter. The new owner of their building evicted them to convert their apartment into tenancies-in-common.
“People call me Mrs. Lee. The owner provided a notice to me. Using the Ellis Act to evict me.
“Initially, it was really hard for me. Because on one hand, aside from them moving out, it was really difficult because I heard a lot of noise and banging from construction because the landlord is doing a lot of renovations.
“My income is not high. San Francisco rents are high. They’re very expensive. I can’t afford the rent here. Our income we can’t afford it. So trying time and time again, I couldn’t find another place to live. And I find that some of the landlords I’ve talked to haven’t been too accepting of the fact that I have a daughter who has a developmental disability.
“I worry about that. I worry because she doesn’t know the difference between bad and good sometimes. Say, for instance, if she’s in a new environment or someplace that doesn’t meet her needs. It’s very difficult for her because she doesn’t know what to do or say.
“I feel it was really hard on me. I didn’t have an option, anywhere to go to, seeing other people go, and I didn’t have anywhere to go to.
“There are nights when I can’t sleep, so I take medicine to go to sleep.”
“My sentiments and memories here are deep. They’re very vested in this home. No matter where I go I always will hold the memories in my heart for having lived here for over 30 years.”
