At least four families of the 65 adults and children displaced in last month's four-alarm Mission District fire will be moving this weekend to duplexes on Treasure Island – a destination met with gratitude and ambivalence.
"It's out of the way ... in Treasure Island. We have lived in the city the whole time,” said José Gonzalez, who used to live in Unit 312 and will be moving with his wife and two children.
Although the house is nice, he added, “We don’t have another option, so we have to take it. We need to rest for the meantime.”
Since being displaced from their apartments at 22nd and Mission streets on Jan. 28, residents have been staying at the Salvation Army on Valencia, where they have received assistance from the Red Cross and an outpouring of support from the community, which has donated clothes, meals and money . Others have found shelter with friends or extended family.
With the uncertainty of whether and when the building will be renovated – some tenants have been told it would take at least two years for the building to be repaired – officials are helping residents to move into duplexes on Treasure Island.