When Larry talks about his new home at TNDC’s 383 6th Ave, he does it with the calm clarity of someone who has lived more than a few lifetimes’ worth of change. “For right now,” he says, “I’m happy here.” At 80 years old, he’s earned the right to take things one day at a time.
Larry’s path to 383 6th Ave started two years ago in Van Buren, Arkansas, where he and his wife had managed a self-storage facility for 15 years. When she passed away, everything unraveled at once. “A month after that, I was given walking papers,” he said. With no family in Arkansas, he knew he needed to return to California, where his daughters and brother live.
Once in the Bay Area, Larry stayed with his daughter briefly and then bounced between house-sitting opportunities—short-term, uncertain, but enough to stay afloat while he connected with the VA and Operation Dignity. That eventually led him to shared veteran housing in Alameda. It wasn’t always easy. “My first night there, it’s five in the morning and the music is blaring,” he recalled. “That was his first encounter with his roommate.”
So when VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) called about an apartment in San Francisco, Larry jumped at the chance—especially when he learned it was at 383 6th Ave. “Absolutely,” he said. “This is great.”
First of all, I have my own place. I don’t have to clean up after roommates.
Today, Larry relishes the independence of having his own apartment. “First of all, I have my own place. I don’t have to clean up after roommates.” He cooks for himself, takes the 38 bus across the city—including straight to the VA—and often sits outside watching the neighborhood go by. “Anybody who looks at me, I’ll address verbally,” he said with a smile. “Most folks don’t look at me. That’s okay.”
He feels supported at the building and knows help is available when he needs it. His only suggestion? “Whoever did the lighting does not cook,” he joked, pointing out the shadows over his kitchen counter. His solution: a $10 lamp from Lamps Plus.
Asked whether 383 6th Ave is his forever home, Larry doesn’t make promises. “I never thought I’d reach this age,” he said. “But for right now? Oh yeah. I’m happy here.”
