Juan and Maria Aguillón
Born in: El Salvador
Current Neighborhood: On the border of San Francisco and Daly City
Ages: 57 and 67 years old
When and why did you make San Francisco your home?
We arrived to San Francisco in the mid-1980’s to escape the civil war in our native country, El Salvador. Since then, Juan has been working in different jobs — car washer, janitor, food prep, dishwasher and other such work.
How long have you called the Mission your home?
We lived in the Mission District for 17 years. Two years ago, we were evicted from our apartment after fighting the eviction for more than three years.
What is your current living situation?
We now live in a small room on the edge of San Francisco, right on the border of Daly City. We have no formal lease, plus we are now paying more than they were paying for our Mission apartment, which was a bigger space.
Are you at risk of displacement?
Right now we are not at risk of displacement, but we want to come back to the Mission because we’ve lost our sense of community. Also, our medical and social services are now far away.
Why does the Mission need affordable housing for seniors?
The Mission District offers many services for seniors, such as senior centers, where we can meet our friends and find culturally relevant staff who understand our needs. Also, our hospital and medical services are located in the Mission, and there are more options for public transportation and access to jobs.
Please share our elders story and sign our petition for affordable senior homes at 1296 Shotwell in San Francisco’s Mission District
http://medasf.org/get-involved/support-housing-for-our-vulnerable-mission-seniors/