​Family Demands Accountability From Housing Nonprofit After Man Dies Following Eviction

FREMONT, CA — The family of a man who died after he was struck by a car earlier this month in Fremont is calling on a nonprofit that aims to provide affordable housing to reform its eviction policies for residents facing mental health struggles after discovering the man was evicted days before his death.

On Aug. 12, Fremont resident George Encarnacion was struck by a vehicle while crossing Paseo Padre Parkway around 5 a.m., according to a statement from the Fremont Police Department. Encarnacion was pushing a shopping cart carrying his personal belongings mid-block across the street when he was hit, police said.

Encarnacion was declared dead at the scene. He was 76 years old.

The driver left the scene prior to police arrival but returned a short time later and is now cooperating with the investigation, police said. Investigators think a second vehicle may have also hit Encarnacion after the initial collision but did not release further information.

Six days before Encarnacion's death, on Aug. 6, the nonprofit Eden Housing evicted Encarnacion from a housing community in Fremont, according to a statement from Encarnacion's daughter, Francisca Morales.

Encarnacion had lived there for many years and struggled with mental health challenges, Morales wrote, elaborating that prior to his eviction, Encarnacion's mental health had begun visibly declining with the Fremont Police Department responding multiple times to his mental health crises and erratic behavior.

Morales alleged that although the Eden Housing property manager knew she served as her father's point of contact, the property manager neglected to inform her of his eviction due to health privacy concerns.

"I had been trying to reach him for months, unaware he was in crisis," she wrote. "If I had been contacted, I could have intervened and supported him."

She is calling for Eden Housing to take accountability for its role in her father's death, reassess policies regarding the eviction of residents with mental health or cognitive challenges, and ensure that families or trusted contacts are notified in crisis situations.

Eden Housing did not respond to requests for comment.

"Eden Housing failed in its duty of care. This outcome was not only tragic; it was entirely foreseeable," Morales wrote. "This is bigger than my father. It is about all vulnerable residents who face eviction without protection. For people with mental illness or dementia, eviction is not just a legal action -- it can be a death sentence."

By Audrey Tomlin / Bay City News

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