“It was March 2023, and I came to GLIDE to get tested for Hepatitis C and when I came up here, I ended up meeting a dude named Mel. We hit it off right away. You know I came in, and I immediately reacted to all of his body tattoos, like what I have. We started talking about music and such things. And he tested me for Hep C.  

We ended up talking at length about so many things, and I ended up staying at the Health Hub for like four hours. From then on, I would come here daily to talk with Mel, but while I was talking to him, I got really close with everybody else who came to the Health Hub. It felt like people actually cared and it was cool to go to a place where people ask you how your day is and they genuinely cared about you and it was like one of the only places that I can think of in my life at that time where people actually cared how my life was going.  

From then on, I really looked forward to coming here. I hated the weekends because the Hub was closed. I kept asking myself, “What am I going to do?”  l would literally countdown the minutes on Sunday before Monday saying to myself, “Yes, I can’t wait to go back to GLIDE.”  

Anyway, after I got my Hep C cured, I volunteered with Syringe Access and Supplies (SAS) as part of the Community Navigator Program through End Hep C SF/DPH. I would go and pass out overdose prevention supplies and be a source for health and resource education to the people in the TL.  

At that point in my life, I felt like I really needed a purpose. I needed something to do, and GLIDE was able to facilitate something for myself to feel like I was not only part of the community, but I could also be myself again.  

You know, after I met Mel, I have a job now and I’m clean. I’ve been off fentanyl and feel like I’m leading such a better life than I was before. The Hub has helped me out enormously.  

I’m originally from Long Beach. I came to San Francisco originally during the Occupy San Francisco protests. I’ve stayed ever since. I love it here.  

GLIDE’s Health Hub comes to Taylor’s rescue 

“Fentanyl has ravaged San Francisco. No two ways about it. I’ve seen so many people die from it. I watched 4 people die from Fentanyl addiction while I gave them CPR, waiting for the ambulance to arrive. This is so far from normal.  

Fentanyl was one of the hardest things for me to overcome in my life. But I had so much support here at GLIDE to get off it. I was offered rides for medical appointments, and you need that kind of level of support when you are going through addiction. But for me, it was almost akin to having an epiphany. I was watching 50- and 60-year-old fentanyl addicts on the streets shooting up, and I finally said to myself, “I can’t end up like this. I’ve got to get off this shit.”  

I came to the Health Hub and the staff got me on methadone. And now, I can honestly say I’m leading such a better life than I was before. I’m working at the Pit Stop now and I’m happy.  

And really, I owe so much to GLIDE for helping me get my life back. I recommend GLIDE to anyone who is seeking help, whether it’s for housing or for your health, in general. And even if GLIDE can’t help you directly, they can refer you to the right folks who can help you.”