Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
San Francisco Chronicle - Friday, August 19, 2005
Denis Wade*
Many of the local AIDS pioneers in the '80s were women who saw vital, unaddressed needs. Ruth Brinker began what became Project Open Hand, cooking meals in the basement of Trinity Church and delivering them to homebound AIDS patients. Rita Rockett gathered the "Brunch Bunch" of volunteers to serve Sunday dinner to AIDS patients on Ward 5A at San Francisco General Hospital.
Irene Smith created Service Through Touch, a volunteer massage program for persons with AIDS. When Celi Adams realized her training as a registered nurse hadn't prepared her to cope with the complications and crises of caring for her terminally ill best friend, she founded Home Care Companions -- now Caregiving 101 online -- to teach what she learned to other caregivers.
In the vanguard of these volunteers was Sister Ruth Hall, an Anglican nun who emigrated from England in 1974. A Shanti Project volunteer in the early 1980s, she worked with a terminally ill AIDS patient whose brother was arriving for a final visit and had nowhere to stay. She found him a room and, with the late Ray Cope, founded The Family Link to house people who come to San Francisco to visit and care for loved ones with life-threatening illnesses or injuries.
By August 1985, Hall had rented an apartment on Baker Street, recruited a board of directors, obtained nonprofit status and begun networking with hospital social workers to find guests. She met them at the airport, drove them to and from hospitals, raised funds, nurtured volunteers, made beds, unclogged toilets and ultimately managed six apartments.
In 1994, The Family Link scraped together donations and borrowed a down payment to buy a dilapidated two-flat Victorian on Castro Street. Led by Hall, who had obtained a contractor's license, and Board President Jim Spotts, himself a builder, volunteers expended thousands of hours and more than a year creating a warm home with six guest bedrooms and a sunny kitchen where guests share meals and support.
Things have not always been sunny on the financial front, however. More than once in the early years the board debated disbanding for lack of funds. In mid-1992, with the outlook dire, San Francisco columnist Stephanie Salter wrote about The Family Link's unique service for families enmeshed in the AIDS epidemic. More than $40,000 in donations poured in, keeping the doors open.
Today the house is often full, with a frequent waiting list. But an increasing number of guests can't afford the suggested donation of $30 per room per night, and no one is ever turned away for lack of funds. With a policy against seeking or accepting government funds -- the founders didn't want to compete for scarce AIDS grants -- The Family Link depends on individual donors and community fund-raising events for more than 70 percent of its income. AIDS still prompts most visits, but many Family Link guests now visit loved ones with cancer, other life-threatening illnesses, injuries and organ transplants.
This year's budget is a modest $203,360. Cash will run out by year's end. But fund-raising events are on the calendar and scarce foundation grants are being sought. Once again, nervous board members have postponed replacing the building's dozens of original windows. For now, nobody is talking about closing the doors, least of all Hall, the sole full-time staff member. There's simply too much need.
How to help
To help out, call (415) 703-9050 or e-mail thefamilylink@mindspring.com. Checks can be sent to 317 Castro St. San Francisco, CA 94114. Web site: www.thefamilylink.com.
*Denis Wade is secretary of the board of directors of The Family Link.
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