S.F. offers cash to get RVs off the street. For some, it's a deal. Others could lose thousands.

"Those who could prove they had been living in their RVs within the city prior to a city-wide survey conducted last May and successfully obtained a temporary permit are eligible to sell their vehicle to the city for $175 per square linear foot, and the promise of access to subsidized housing."

"That can be a good deal. Most of the RVs in San Francisco are decades-old used vehicles, many with duct tape plastered over missing windows, others rendered immobile, and may only be valued as junk metal. But some are newly minted, lengthy camper-vans, with often multiple family members living inside, some of them small children."

"The majority of RV users who spoke with Mission Local are employed in regular, low-paying jobs. They often bought RVs because it seemed, at the time, a cost-effective way of staying in the city. Many said they spent almost all of their savings on the purchases, or are still busy paying them off in monthly installments."

Dozens of mobile homes sit within San Francisco city limits, housing nearly 500 people between warehouses and the southeast bay. Mayor Daniel Lurie's RV ban takes effect this winter, forcing residents to either leave or sell vehicles to the city for $175 per linear foot with a temporary permit. Eligibility requires proof of living in an RV before a city-wide survey last May and obtaining a temporary permit. The offer can benefit owners of old, immobile, or inherited RVs who gain access to subsidized housing with long waitlists. Many RVs are damaged, while some are newer camper-vans bought for up to $20,000, and most occupants work low-paying jobs and spent savings or use installments to buy their vehicles.

Read at Mission Local