“I only remember living in Bayview and nowhere else. Dad was in the Navy. Mom worked at the shipyard and at a cleaners. In the 60s this neighborhood was very family oriented. When the street light came on, you knew you’d better come home or you’d hear about it. It’s sad, the new generation is shooting and killing each other. Even the girls are shooting now.

My landlord gave me a 30-day notice, saying he was going to move in. He harassed me and made my life miserable. He left me without heating for months. He let me live with dead rodents and refused to patch a hole in the roof. I went to the Mayor’s office for help, and they referred me to an org who said they couldn’t help me. But walking down Third Street, I saw the sign for Open Door Legal and decided to come in.

My sister taught me, “You don’t give up. You keep working. Someone will open a door.” That’s what Open Door Legal does. They open doors. They helped me get a higher lottery number so I could get new housing sooner. And they helped me stay in my home for a long time while I looked for housing. I was able to move into a large, new apartment building in Bayview, and I don’t ever have to worry about a landlord moving in and kicking me out.

My new place even has a gym, which has allowed me to get healthy and take care of myself!”

Photography © Dale Tan