Chinatown's Hidden Poverty: How a Family of Six Survives Living in a Tiny Room

San Francisco is home to thousands of SROs, or Single Room Occupancy units, originally designed to fit one person. These small rooms, typically around 100 square feet, used to house San Francisco's low-wage workers, transient laborers and immigrants. Now, they are home to an increasingly large number of families, predominantly located in the city's Chinatown and Tenderloin neighborhoods.

Miyu Yu, her husband and four children have been living in one SRO in San Francisco's Chinatown for the past 9 years. Three of those years have been during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Watch our video to see how Yu and her family have navigated living in such a small space.

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[alexi]

Hidden sadness in Chinatown, nothing new. So many offices empty, city should renovate to make some low cost housing for working people

[Jennifer-jfgp]

When we first moved to the US, we lived in small apartments. Took my parents 10 years to save up for a house. Now time is much harder for immigrants with rent being much higher and saving up for a house unattainable for most. Living in Chinatown is a first stop for many immigrants not speaking any English. It allows them to settle down in a familiar community. Once the kids are older and master more English, they can then move out to lower rent apartments outside Chinatown. Not easy but hopefully better step by step.

[theresalee]

I pray God opens doors for your future

[catherineloftus]

I hope this family, and many other hard working families, find homes that makes their lives more comfortable. They certainly deserve better living conditions.

[silverlily]

Look like the conditions of living in HONGKONG

[SnapszDuhh]

I’m confused why they kept having kids in those environment. That is so messed up to put children in this situation. They didn’t ask to be her and live in these conditions but they brought them into this world KNOWING the conditions they’d be living in. So selfish. Smh

[Kava]

And that’s why the CHINESE PEOPLE are always successful. They don’t complain, they just keep on pushing no matter what. Hats off to them from a Pacific Islander 💯💯

[staceyk.]

Oh wow 😮 I can’t imagine living in a space that small let alone with my 4 kids and hubby!! These children deserve to have their own rooms to run and play and something they can call their own!! I certainly hope this family receives the Help and Support they so rightly need and deserves🙏🏽

[simshengvue]

Those kids better be killing it in school otherwise it wouldn’t be worth it

[louisesemrani]

I feel very sad for their situation 🙏🏻sending blessings your way ❤️🦘🐨

[SL-lzjr]

Wow that's tiny. I have relatives that lived in SROs in Chinatown but their rooms were bigger. This is like those HK coffin apartments. Yikes!

[ronica]

Fake? My father and 5 siblings born and lived in Chinatown with their 2 parents in 1930s. Not even food stamps. They had 2 rooms: bedroom barely fit 2 beds (literally that was it) and another living space. No fridge, put the milk on the outside ledge, rats on same ledge. They all made it out of Chinatown, bought a building for grandma, have 16 cousins. Not all of us got straight A’s, but we’re doing pretty well. This family will be ok.

[joannclark]

So sad not sure why you would have so many children if you cannot provide for them.

[orchidmess]

I think a lot of you are missing the point. People can choose to have children because to them they dont need to be wealthy to be happy. Maybe they came with promised better jobs or something and were left hanging and have no where to go you dont know her story. Dont you hear how bad she feels? She wasnt asking for hand outs

[FredShin-mx]

why she decide to have 4 children when so poor ?

[hingyee]

Been there....done that. My parents immigrated to the US in 1964 with 3 kids ( I was 5, 3 and 1) and we lived in a 1BR apartment with grandparents, aunt and our own family of 5 for a total of 8 people. It was a tight fit but no one was complaining and we never took welfare. we lived on East Broadway in Manhattan's Chinatown and everyone did that so it was no big deal. The older girls remind me of ourselves....always doing HW whereever there was space but the HW always got done.

No handouts needed....my aunt went on to become a nurse and just recently retired. My younger became an mechanical engineer and my sister became an accountant. I myself was a bond and options trader in the mid 80's and had a nice career in the finance industry. So don't feel bad or any ill will towards this family in SF. Just looking at the girls working hard at their HW, I know they will thrive and succeed. The parents brought their kids here to give them a chance at a future in the US.

[orangeswirls]

Can’t imagine what’s doing laundry is like for them.

[JenniferNewLife]

This makes no sense ??? Why would you go to San Francisco out of all places and expect to prosper . They can go to other places and get a bigger place for 700 a month

[catmi]

Why would you have so many children if you are financially challenged? 2 is already enough regardless of 2 boys or 2 girls.

[chinatownboy]

This family qualifies for a lot of social programs. They need a social worker to advocate for them.