Iris Canada’s fight to stay in the home she had lived in for more than 50 years became a symbol of the city’s housing crisis

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Iris Canada, a 100-year-old woman whose eviction became a symbol of San Francisco’s housing crisis, died on Saturday, one month after she lost her home.

Canada, who died after a stroke, has struggled with serious health complications since the San Francisco sheriff’s office evicted her on 10 February, according to housing activists and Canada’s family.

“Iris Canada was betrayed by all the systems that were supposed to protect her,” Iris Merriouns, Canada’s niece, told the Guardian on Tuesday. “She would have lived longer had she not had to suffer so much. It was such a long, arduous fight.”

The death of the centenarian marks the end of a protracted battle that received international attention as a representation of gentrification and income inequality in San Francisco amid California’s growing housing shortage.

'This is killing me': 100-year-old woman fights eviction in San Francisco Read more

Canada’s fight to stay in her first-floor two-bedroom apartment – her home of more than 50 years – began in 2014 when the owners first sought an eviction. Carolyn Radisch; her husband, Peter Owens; and his brother Stephen Owens had purchased the six-unit property in 2002 and granted Canada a “life estate” agreement, allowing her to remain until she died at a fixed rate of $700 a month.

The owners claimed that Canada eventually stopped living in her unit and failed to maintain the property, but Canada and her family vehemently denied the accusations and said she wanted to remain in the unit until her death.

The lengthy court fight – which included a judge granting more than ten requests for an eviction delay – came to a close when a court recently ruled in the owners’ favor and ordered the San Francisco sheriff’s office to proceed with the eviction.

Officers subsequently changed the locks on Canada’s door, prompting intense protests at the office of Sheriff Vicki Hennessy, who told activists that she was acting at the direction of the court.

Canada’s health worsened after the eviction, and she spent most of her time in recent weeks at the hospital, according to Merriouns. “Her heart rate never returned to normal.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Iris Canada in the bedroom of the home in San Francisco where she lived more than half her life. Photograph: Josh Edelson/The Guardian

By many measures, San Francisco is one of the most expensive cities in the country, and low-income renters, particularly longtime residents of color, have struggled to stay in the region as the technology industry has continued to exacerbate wealth disparities.

“It was clear all along that this woman was not going to survive this eviction,” said Tommi Avicolli Mecca, director of counseling programs with the Housing Rights Committee, a local advocacy group. “Something needs to be done to stop our seniors from being evicted. There’s a lot of frustration, a lot of anger and a lot of sadness.”

Merriouns was in tears recounting her final conversations with her aunt, trying to explain to her why she was unable to go back home.

“She just felt kind of thrown away,” said Merriouns. “She was a person of dignity and pride, and she was not yelling and screaming. She was just simply saying, ‘I want to remain in my home.’”

In an interview with the Guardian at her home last October, Canada said: “I love my house. This is my place. This is my furniture. Everything here is mine,” adding, “All of this is killing me.”

Mark Chernev, an attorney for the property owner, said in an email on Tuesday: “The owners were saddened to hear of Iris Canada’s passing – she lived a remarkable life and will be remembered fondly.”

Reached by phone, Eileen Hirst, chief of staff for the San Francisco sheriff’s office, said: “We are very sorry to learn that Iris Canada has passed away.” She did not comment further.

“Evictions have detrimental affects on your health,” Mecca said, adding that for some people “it is absolutely deadly”.