Low-income families face eviction as building ‘rebrands’ for Facebook workers

The three-storey building at 180 Buckingham Avenue in Redwood City is located five miles from the Facebook headquarters, 10 miles from Google, 20 miles from Apple, and a short drive away from many other tech startups contributing to seismic demographic shifts in the region.

Prior to Trions $15m purchase of the property, rents were 40% below market value, the company said in a press release, noting that it presented an opportunity … to maximize rent growth.

Trion also noted that Facebook has offered its employees $10,000 and $15,000 bonuses if they live within ten miles of campus, helping make Redwood City a new hub for tech employment.

So far, Trion has sent eviction notices to 15 units to clear the way for renovations, said managing partner Max Sharkansky. The remaining apartments will be remodeled over time, which means its expected that most tenants will eventually lose their homes.

While rents will be increasing at this property, we would, of course, be delighted to have the original residents come back to this building as residents in the renovated units if they would like to, Sharkansky said in a statement.

The new landlords have refused to offer any financial assistance for relocation or additional time to secure new housing, according to Hankins.

Numerous studies have shown that, although the region depends on low-wage service workers who support the tech economy, only the ultra-wealthy can afford to live near their jobs. In Silicon Valley, roughly 70,000 low-income workers now commute more than 50 miles to work.

In recent months, even well-off tech workers have publicly stated that they can no longer afford to live comfortably and raise families in northern California.

Facebook did not respond to a request for comment on the Redwood City evictions, though the company has in the past pledged to invest about $5m toward several regional housing initiatives. But critics argue that the social media corporation and other tech companies need to make much more substantial investments to offset displacement.

Others have argued that local governments have consistently failed to pass laws that protect tenants and must do more to encourage the production of new housing.

When Hernandez showed up at a recent San Mateo County board of supervisors meeting to ask for help, officials said there was little they could legally do, except try and encourage the property owner to delay.

Mass eviction cases, like a recent one in San Jose, considered the largest in the region, sometimes spark controversy. But it is the small-scale evictions happening on a daily basis that play a significant role in what has become a displacement crisis, said Miriam Zuk, project director of the University of California, Berkeleys Urban Displacement Project.

Zuk said she now regularly sees direct evidence of the tech impact on housing, citing one case in which a property owner evicted a group of Latino residents to make way for the laptop crowd. In Oakland, where Uber is opening a new office, everybody is now advertising housing in terms of its proximity to Uber, she said. Its crazy how quickly that happened.

Dora Diaz, a 37-year-old Buckingham Apartments tenant, said she doesnt know what she will do if she receives an eviction notice.

I get nervous just even thinking about opening the door, because Im scared Im going to see the paper, she said while her three-year-old son Gael played nearby. I feel like its only a matter of time.

Her neighbor Eduardo Murillo, 40, said he lives with his brother and cousin in a one-bedroom and that they havent been able to find anywhere affordable in advance of their October eviction.

Were very stressed. Everyone deserves to have somewhere affordable.

Mariana Jimenez, a 39-year-old tenant who lives with her brother and his two children, broke down crying while discussing their search for a new place before they are forced to leave in October.

We are looking and making a lot of appointments but its all very expensive, said Jimenez, who works as a nanny. Someone needs to help us.