San Francisco Offers $5K Airbnb Gift Cards to Evict Potrero Annex Residents

The San Francisco Housing Authority (SFHA) is offering $5,000 Airbnb gift cards to residents living without leases at the Potrero Annex public housing complex to encourage them to vacate the premises ahead of a planned demolition and redevelopment. Many of these residents, described as “unleased” or squatters by the city, claim they were misled into believing they had legitimate tenancies after paying rent to a rogue property manager who pocketed the money, though the city attorney could not confirm this. Tenant advocates and residents criticize the gift card offer as inadequate, noting that $5,000 would only cover about two weeks of Airbnb stays in San Francisco’s expensive rental market, which has seen the highest year-over-year rent increase in the U.S. The residents, many of whom are vulnerable populations including non-English speakers and potentially undocumented immigrants, are participating in ongoing litigation, with some rejecting the city’s offer and demanding better solutions. The redevelopment project aims to replace the deteriorated 54-building complex with new affordable and market-rate housing units, but eviction delays and legal battles involving roughly 40 households without leases are complicating progress. Meanwhile, residents with legal leases are being offered housing in newly completed buildings, while those without leases face eviction or the contested Airbnb credit offers.