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SAN FRANCISCO — A new survey of single room occupancy hotels in San Francisco found that over 40 percent of these cramped but cheap accommodations house at least one child. 

The census, released Tuesday, found that the average SRO is a 10-by-10 room without a kitchen or bathroom but occupied by more than three people. About 85 percent of occupants are immigrants whose first language is not English, the study found. 

It was funded by the city and conducted by several community groups. The 450 families interviewed had 760 children, 80 percent under age 12. 

SAN JOSE — EBay co-founder Jeff Skoll said Tuesday he will make a multimillion-dollar donation to help nonprofits suffering a drop in donations. 

Skoll, 36, announced that he is giving $2.5 million worth of eBay stock to Community Foundation Silicon Valley. He wants to raise $25 million — his estimate of what area nonprofits expect to lose with philanthropists focusing on those affected by last month’s terrorist attacks. 

Skoll’s projections are based on a 1999 survey of 151 Silicon Valley non-profits, which reported getting an average of 23 percent of their income from foundations, corporations and other donors. 

Community Foundation Silicon Valley promotes philanthropy, provides charitable giving expertise to individuals and corporations, and makes grants to local nonprofit organizations and schools. It is one of the fastest growing foundations in the nation, with assets exceeding $585 million and awarding grants of $52 million annually. 

SAN FRANCISCO — Bay Area home sales fell in September at the steepest rate since the economic downturn began, according to the real estate information service DataQuick. 

A total of 7,201 houses and condominiums changed hands in the region, down 25.6 percent from September 2000. During the first nine months of 2001, 69,404 new and resale homes were sold in the region, down 17 percent from the comparable period last year. 

The median price was $373,000, up 5.4 percent from a year ago, DataQuick said. 

Between March and September, median home prices fell sharply in Santa Clara, San Mateo and San Francisco counties, where the slumping technology sector has a heavy presence. But prices rose in areas with less dependence on dotcoms, such as Contra Costa County.