The ‘shelter in place’ order is impossible to follow for the thousands of San Franciscans who have no shelter.  During a pandemic, people living on the streets have it worse than ever.  Shelters have been closed, and demand for food banks has exploded as tens of thousands of San Franciscans have filed for unemployment.

Meet Martin, a mission local of some 40 years, who became homeless 3 years ago, and now lives in a tent on the Mission sidewalk.

Now meet Meghan, an architectural historian whose home is near Martin’s tent.  The two became friends over the past year, sharing coffee in the mornings, chatting on the phone, and exchanging stories.

Here are Meghan and Martin

Then in early May, Martin was brutally stabbed outside his tent and had to be hospitalized for life-threatening wounds, including severe arterial damage to his arm and a partially collapsed lung. A police report was filed, and Martin got patched up at SF General. His condition is now stable, put he remains very susceptible to infection, especially for someone living on the streets. And his assailants are still at large.

So Meghan, along with Martin’s social worker spent hours on the phone, talking to shelters and administrators to find Martin a room to stay in, at least while he recovered from his wounds. The good news is, Martin now has a city sponsored hotel room to shelter in until the end of the Shelter in Place Order, but the expiration date of the order could end as early as June 1st.

Now, Meghan is raising money to help pay for Martin’s various medications, as well as find him a place to shelter once he loses his hotel room.  Meghan has been furloughed from her own job which has given her the time to help her friend, but she doesn’t have the personal finances to do it alone.  Just yesterday she helped secure Martin Meals on Wheels while he is bedridden.  But she and Martin could use your help.  The GoFundMe page for Martin can be found here:

Via Meghan:  “Martin came to San Francisco by himself as a child during the Nicaraguan Revolution and has lived in the Mission for almost forty years. His goal once he has healed is to return to Nicaragua and be reunited with his children and family. Martin and I met when I first moved to San Francisco last year and have been friends ever since. He is one of the sweetest, funniest, and most thoughtful people that I know and it has been devastating to see him go through this. I’ve been helping him in every way that I can, but he needs greater financial assistance than I have the ability to provide. Anything that you can spare at this time would be graciously appreciated by both Martin and myself.

Thank you ❤️”