When Ruth moved into TNDC’s newest senior community at 383 6th Avenue in San Francisco’s Richmond District, she felt relief and disbelief. “I’m so fortunate,” she says. “[My apartment] still lacks a soul, but it’s beautiful to me. I’m very happy.” Her cozy apartment is, in fact, tastefully decorated with groaning bookcases.
Her happiness, though, is tinged with humility. Ruth admits to feeling “a kind of survivor’s guilt.” She knows how many are still waiting for the same chance at stability. “With my health and my age, I cannot live on the street. That can kill you.”
With my health and my age, I cannot live on the street. That can kill you.
After nearly four decades in France, Ruth returned home to San Francisco seeking treatment for chronic leukemia at UCSF. “It was my wildest dream to find affordable housing in the Richmond—near the hospital, near my old neighborhood.”
Ruth’s decision to return to the U.S. at the insistence of her doctors was anguishing. It meant being an ocean away from her husband, who had been placed in a clinic for advanced Alzheimer’s disease. All Ruth could do was phone him every week until he eventually passed away. “They told me he would forget me,” she says quietly, “but he didn’t.”
On top of illness and the pain of profound loss, Ruth also faced the challenge of finding a home. She rented a room in the Richmond—until fire destroyed it. “The city came to my rescue,” she recalls. “The Red Cross, neighbors—everywhere I’ve been, people have cared for me. Very good people.” After the fire, Ruth entered emergency housing, which put a serious strain on her health. Fortunately, she was able to leave temporary shelter when her application for 383 6th Avenue came through just in time.
“I don’t even know how I got in,” she laughs. The odds were steep: over 900 people applied for 98 units. Ruth’s chances, like those of some other tenants, were increased by the Neighborhood Resident Housing Preference Program, which aims to match applicants to affordable opportunities within their home neighborhoods.
Gratitude is good for the soul. I only say thank you, thank you, thank you. The only evil is indifference. Everything good begins with caring.
With sunlight spilling across her bookcases, Ruth reflects on what it means to finally have a home. “Gratitude is good for the soul. I only say thank you, thank you, thank you,” adding softly, “The only evil is indifference. Everything good begins with caring.”
