SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) — The toll from mortgage defaults is being seen firsthand by Bay Area sheriff’s departments, who are having to hand out eviction notices at a rapid rate.

The latest numbers from RealtyTrac show that mortgage defaults continue to rise and initial foreclosure notices across the country were up 33 percent last month.

KCBS’ Anna Duckworth Reports:



Alameda County’s eviction officers have had their workload double since 2002, when they served 3,500 eviction notices. Last year, Sheriff Greg Ahern said that number topped 7,000 or 538 a month.

“This year, it’s down just a little bit. We’re averaging between 400 and 450 evictions per month,” said Ahern. “But that’s still a big workload for our staff.”

Ahern said the majority of the evictions involve rental property, but the numbers involving foreclosures have increased in recent years as well.

San Francisco Sheriff Michael Hennessey said about 10 percent of the evictions in the city are for bank-owned properties.

“It’s very tough because you’ll run into families who are being evicted and haven’t figured out where they’re going to go,” said Hennessey. “We’ve had to place people with Salvation Army and Red Cross, places like that with no place to go.”

Hennessey said San Francisco is on pace to equal last year’s number of eviction notices served at just under 2,900.

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