Safer DIY Spaces

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Safer DIY Spaces Safer DIY Spaces is a 501(c)3 nonprofit staffed by building professionals and artists. We also craft policy and building/zoning codes.

We assist low-income DIY spaces with life-safety alterations and tenant-led building acquisitions. Safer DIY Spaces (https://saferdiyspaces.org) IS A 501(c)3 NON-PROFIT CORPORATION (EIN: 81-5217454). All tax-deductible donations can be made directly to our organization. Safer DIY Spaces is a San Francisco Bay Area-based organization providing technical building code and development assistance to

alternative 'DIY' spaces presently engaged in live/work and/or community gatherings (assembly). The program provides technical direction for confidential site inspections, corrective construction, legal costs, and other tasks necessary to make core life-safety improvements, in turn bringing sites into compliance with local building, fire and zoning codes. We also work on improved policy relating building, fire and zoning codes. BACKGROUND: In the wake of the December 2, 2016 Ghostship Fire in Oakland, California, DIY communities nationwide are facing unanticipated inspections and sudden evictions, especially those inhabiting live/work warehouses viewed as identical to the building where this tragedy occurred. Alternative spaces are invaluable sites for social alliance, activism, artistic growth, and creative production. Those who live and work in these spaces are often socially marginalized and economically disadvantaged, and have gone to great lengths to create affordable, supportive, and productive environments otherwise unavailable in conventional housing and cultural venues. Safer DIY offers assistance to individuals and groups that face immediate housing and safety crises and works to stabilize alternative spaces. All proceeds go directly toward confidential inspections, remediative construction, legal costs, and other fees necessary to make core life-safety improvements. Safer DIY covers safety supplies and improvements, permit and construction costs, legal fees, and relocation expenses for those facing displacement. Safer DIY recognizes that people of color, members of the LGBTQ community, and other marginalized groups often face greater challenges in economic stability. We prioritize grants for those most at-risk. This initiative facilitates the production of physically safer spaces for a vibrant arts, culture, and political scene in the Bay Area. If you live, work, and/or provide space for communities to gather and share culture, and are at risk of displacement or have safety concerns, you may be eligible to receive assistance, and we encourage you to apply. Please contact us via our web request form located at:

https://saferdiyspaces.org/request-help

or email: info (at) saferdiyspaces (dot) org

Thank you!

An awesome program that more people should take advantage of… our E.D. will also be available for questions on the menu....
02/03/2026

An awesome program that more people should take advantage of… our E.D. will also be available for questions on the menu. Thank you vitalartsorg and theselc and Hope M!

We are honored to partner with intersectionforthearts for this workshop. These topics were part of the foundation for Sa...
18/02/2026

We are honored to partner with intersectionforthearts for this workshop. These topics were part of the foundation for Safer DIY, and we’ve learned a lot over the years. This workshop is currently full. HOWEVER, If you have or know of an org or group that is interested in hosting a similar workshop in the future…hit us up!

This workshop offers practical guidance for activating unconventional sites—like storefronts, warehouses, and other underused spaces—for artistic and cultural events. You’ll learn how to navigate safety requirements, permitting, and event logistics, so you can confidently plan events while staying compliant.

Topics will include:

Life safety considerations, including fire safety, means of egress, and event security
Special event permitting in San Francisco and Oakland: how to apply, what to expect, and how to navigate common conditions imposed by local authorities
Alcohol service and compliance
How regulators classify different uses of space in relation to safety
Ample time for Q&A and peer knowledge-sharing

16/02/2026

Congrats to the diligent efforts of tenants, their badass attorneys, and community support…. WE finally WON!

We’re putting together a workshop for arts organizers and want to be able to keep it as real as possible!
09/02/2026

We’re putting together a workshop for arts organizers and want to be able to keep it as real as possible!

Share if you can and want! We’re putting together a workshop for arts organizers on the topic.
08/02/2026

Share if you can and want! We’re putting together a workshop for arts organizers on the topic.

A potential finale of the 7 year saga to get rent control rights for the Vulcan Tenants. Thank you to bay.tanc for showi...
07/02/2026

A potential finale of the 7 year saga to get rent control rights for the Vulcan Tenants. Thank you to bay.tanc for showing up for so many years, and Vital Arts for spreading the word!

The case hinges on whether a lease including residential use and people using a building as a residence qualify as eligible for rent control even if a building hadn’t received a “Certificate of Occupancy” from the City to fully legalize residential use. A previous RAP appeal board said, yes! Yes this makes this building eligible for rent control. Now the owners are appealing that decision, so there is yet another appeal hearing.

Why this is crucial and why this could Save the Vulcan: rent control would reduce the price for which the Vulcan’s owner Madison Park could sell the property, and would give protection to the tenants. Madison Park wants to sell. No rent control = likelihood that Madison Park could sell Vulcan to a bigger developer or Private Equity firm which would jack up rents to effectively evict the tenants.

Portland employs the “put a building on wheels so that it technically isn’t a building” strategy that we have advised pe...
05/02/2026

Portland employs the “put a building on wheels so that it technically isn’t a building” strategy that we have advised people to do here in the Bay Area.

Three personal stories show how these small, affordable, flexible homes provide big solutions for families.

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