Gerald: “The Uncertainty is One of the Worst Parts”

Gerald Harlan has always been a mentally engaged person who is willing to learn new skills.

He also has long been physically active, whether as a wrestler and multi-sport athlete in high school or as a hard-working employee as an adult.

But the physically strenuous work that gave him so much purpose took a big toll on his body. Decades spent as a truck driver and a carpet cleaner led his body to deteriorate, causing chronic injuries to his back, hip, and shoulder. That left him unemployable and it ruined his income.

“I couldn’t work and I lost everything,” Harlan said.

He lost his apartment and often stayed with friends. Sometimes simple bad luck dashed his best efforts. When he found a room to rent with a friend who was leasing a house, the property owner lost everything from the housing collapse and, just as quickly, Harlan no longer had a place to live.

He started sleeping on public transit and coffee shops, spending most of that time in San Bruno and other parts of San Mateo County.

“The uncertainty is one of the worst parts of experiencing homelessness,” he said. “Not knowing exactly when you’ll shower again and not knowing if you’ll ever have your own home again.”

In spite of these steep and daunting challenges, Harlan kept looking for solutions.

Harlan bought a laptop computer and, as a regular customer at a Peninsula-area coffeehouse, he learned new skills. He was crafting a comeback plan for what would become the second act of his professional career.

He learned how to do web design and began creating websites, culling together income from social security and his newfound tech skills.

“The Starbucks manager liked me and let me work there,” Harlan said. “Plus, I met clients there – people who eventually hired me to design their websites.”

Harlan was on the rise, but he was still vulnerable to unexpected crises. When Covid-19 struck in early 2020, his only shelter was a car that his friend lent him to sleep in. He was sitting in that vehicle when an Abode outreach team member parked next to him and asked if he needed help.

Soon thereafter, Abode placed Harlan in a shelter and he later moved into permanent supportive housing.

He has continued to earn income from creating websites and on side jobs such as food delivery and rideshare driving.

Harlan’s strong work ethic is one of many reasons why he is a good fit as a new member of the Lived Experience Advisory Board (LEAB), which has been formed to help Abode improve efforts to fulfill its mission of ending homelessness.

Harlan also brings invaluable knowledge garnered by years of experience, as well as a genuine yearning to help others who are experiencing homelessness.

“The system can be hard to navigate for those trying to find their own home, or to see if you qualify or not for certain programs,” he said. “The answers are there, but you often can’t get to them.”

Harlan aims to use his fascination with computer arts to further hone his tech skills and keep growing his Internet-related business. By designing his own comeback story, he can give advice as a LEAB member to show the way for others like him.

“All my life I’ve been out there doing it,” he said. “But I’d rather be out there helping people.”