San Francisco is preparing to ban people from living in recreational vehicles (RVs) on city streets, a move that could force hundreds of unhoused residents — including working families and immigrants — to give up the only shelter they can afford. The crackdown comes under Mayor Daniel Lurie’s broader promise to clean up the city and is centred around strict new parking rules.“The proliferation of large vehicles has led to blocked sidewalks, compromised traffic circulation and health hazards that impact our neighborhoods. These are real challenges that residents and businesses experience daily,” Kunal Modi, chief of health at the homelessness and family services department told news agency Associated Press. Under the proposed policy, RVs and other oversized vehicles will be restricted to just two hours of parking anywhere in the city, making long-term living in them nearly impossible. An exception will apply to those already registered before May — but only if they agree to work with the city on finding housing and eventually surrender their vehicles.

The change will directly impact at least 400 RVs currently being used as homes. Many of the people living in them say they simply can’t afford San Francisco’s sky-high rents. “We are deploying a dedicate peer-based outreach team comprised of people with lived experiences of vehicular homelessness. The role will be to engage people living in large vehicles, assess their needs, determine their homelessness status and connect them with housing resources,” Emily Cohen with the SF homelessness and supportive housing department told ABC 7 News. The policy has cleared its first hurdle and is expected to get final approval from the board of supervisors soon.