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'There is nowhere else for us to go': Nuns who feed homeless face eviction after rent nearly doubles

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'Maybe someone is just trying to drive us homeless people away.'

The cost of living in San Francisco has skyrocketed to the point that and new reports indicate Bay Area housing has reached such heights that the area's average income can no longer support it. Unfortunately, this means everyone is downsizing or moving - including nonprofits attempting to ease the needs of the homeless.

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LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - KCBS reported financial research company, Fitch Ratings', findings that indicate San Francisco's housing prices have become "unsupportable" by the local income.

Grant Bailey, Fitch's managing director, released a statement in which he said, "The last time the Bay Area experienced this kind of home price growth was during the dot-com era from 1997-2000.

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The situation is so dire that traditional poverty lines no longer apply to the Bay Area. The San Francisco Public Press reported an outrageous cost of $4,750 for a simple two-bedroom apartment.

While California and San Francisco's city governments attempt to find ways to help those living beneath San Francisco's poverty line, hundreds of nonprofit organizations continue to downsize or close their doors entirely.

The San Francisco Chronicle
reported that the crisis was so bad that the sisters of the Fraternite Notre Dame Mary of Nazareth Soup Kitchen, who sell baked goods and feed the hungry for free, has seen their rent nearly double.

Lawyers have stepped up to fight for the nuns, who live at the soup kitchen and have a reputation for offering the best charity food in San Francisco.


Daniel Fitzpatrick, the sisters' lawyer, said the rent was raised from $3,465 to $5,500 between December 2015 and January 2016. The nuns struggled to meet the $3,465 rent before and are entirely unable to reach the higher payment.

"It's a tough case, but these nuns are fantastic people," Fitzpatrick stated.

Nick Patel, the owner, is currently away in India and is unable to discuss the case until Thursday Michael Health, Patel's lawyer, stated.

Heath added, "The owner is putting everything on hold for now, and we will assess the situation when he comes back."

Though it is possible the rising cost of living in San Francisco has caused the nun's rent to nearly double, nothing is certain. Douglas Fennell, a recipient of the sisters' kindness, was shocked when he heard what could happen to the sisters and their soup kitchen.


"This is just crazy - I can't believe it," Fennell said. "Maybe someone is just trying to drive us homeless people away. I don't know. They're so very sweet. These nuns give us love, they pray for us, they are friendly. They don't look down on us."

Sister Mary of the Angels and Sister Mary Benedicte run the soup kitchen and have been feeding lunch to 300 people three days each week and can feed 500 people twice a week.

"All we want to do is help the homeless," Sister Mary said. "Homeless people often have no affection, and here we can say hello and give them some good food. I give my heart."

Sister Mary Valerie, a Fraternite Notre Dame nun based in Chicago flew to San Francisco to help her sisters, but they continue to struggle.

"There is nowhere else for us to go," Mary Valerie explained. "We need another place, maybe a church."

In an amazing show of pure faith in God, Sister Mary of the Angels responded to Sister Mary Valerie's sad statement.

"I cannot think of that now," Mary of the Angels said. "Right now, there are people to feed. And then there are pastries to make - we are making fruit tarts today. I must stay busy. We are in God's hands."

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