Help Save Frank's Life!

Frank has lived on the streets of Salem, Oregon, for a great many years if not decades. He's been content, even happy, living on Salem's streets. But Frank has serious medical issues, which cannot be properly addressed on the streets. It's certain that if Frank doesn't move inside, and get the care, support, and guidance he needs that Frank will repeatedly cycle through the emergency room and hospital, which he fears and loathes, until he's dead. Horrifically, it's not improbable that before he dies, it will become medically necessary to amputate parts of his lower extremities.

Frank, unfortunately, doesn't understand that he can't go on living the way he has if he wants to continue to live, which he has vociferously stated that he does. Nor does Frank understand that his increasing incapacities and inability to care for himself are straining the people and businesses that used to accept Frank, as he was, and help him. Frank is finding himself ostracized or even banned from his former haunts.

Unfortunately, we live in a nation that is truly terrible at helping people like Frank. It appears the only way to save Frank's life is for someone (me) to seek guardianship over him. It isn't something I do lightly, and I wrestle every day with this choice and the many choices that are likely to come.

The legal process has been costly, particularly since it prevents me from traveling for work. Most of the legal costs, I've incurred have been paid by this site. However, my legal costs have not come to an end. Further, my day-to-day efforts to help Frank have costs I can't afford to pay. Frank is well known for needing a thing - say a pair of shoes - and then repeatedly needing the same thing every three days or so, because he's lost the item, or casually discarded it. Frank has also needed items, related to his medical conditions, that due to dysfunctional bureaucracies, and Frank's very poor fit in them, have had to be paid for out of pocket.

Any help you can give is greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Michael