Carl Finamore Needs Our Help!

Our friend and comrade, Carl Finamore, is in immediate danger of eviction from Pacifica Senior Living in Oakland, California, an assisted living facility where he has been living for the past 10 months. We recently learned that 5 months of payments—totaling $16,250—mostly coming from his Pension and Social Security Retirement checks were unfortunately not sent to Pacifica Senior Living to pay Carl’s monthly rent.

This GoFundMe campaign’s goal is to immediately pay off the 5-month total delinquent amount of $16,250, which goes through Feb. 28, 2023, that is owed Pacifica Senior Living, thus preventing Carl’s imminent eviction. Carl’s cost to live there is $3,400 per month. That monthly amount has unfortunately not been paid by the person acting on Carl’s behalf, which has resulted in this current urgent appeal to prevent Carl’s eviction.

This facility, where Carl has lived since April, 2022, is safe, clean and comfortable for him. We do not want Carl to be sent, because of a seriously delinquent account, to a nursing home not equipped to handle his special needs.

So far, a small number of Carl’s friends and his sister are:

*working to set up a Conservatorship for Carl, allowing a Conservator to handle his financial, medical, and other needs. The Conservator will ensure that Carl’s monthly Pension and Social Security Retirement benefits will be paid in a timely manner to Pacifica. It will take time to set this up, and we are working daily to make it happen since we learned on January 31, 2023, about this non-payment for 5 months of Carl’s cost to reside at Pacifica.

*We are in communication with Pacifica Senior Living to inform them that the delinquency of $16,250 will be paid shortly, assuring Carl’s continued residence there.

Carl had a serious rare brain hemorrhage in 2016, from which he suffers lasting damage, including physical weakness and extreme difficulty speaking and understanding language. Sadly, he is not back to his old speech making, organizing, inspiring self.

Over the past 60+ years, Carl, age 77, has been active in labor struggles, union building, antiwar organizing and many social justice campaigns. There has hardly been a march, picket line, demonstration, sit-in, or action for social justice to which Carl has not lent his energies and presence.

Carl has written countless articles to garner support and educate us about local, national and international events. Many recall his enlightening writings on the Arab Spring, Black Lives Matter, as well as labor struggles of hospital, airline and education workers, just to name a few.

We are hoping to raise $23,000 so that our collective contributions will ensure that Carl will not be evicted from the Pacifica Senior Living facility in Oakland, CA. We want to let him know we’ve got his back and are rooting for his health and safety. It will be an acknowledgement of the life Carl has led in the struggle to make a better world.

Please give what you can. We thank you very much on Carl's behalf.

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This campaign is administered by Carl’s friend, Carole Seligman, in San Francisco, CA. Donations are not tax-deductible, because the IRS considers donations for individuals to be non-tax deductible gifts.

June 11, 2023 update:

Thanks to all of you who so quickly and generously responded to our appeal for help to prevent Carl’s eviction from his assisted living facility, Pacifica Senior Living in Oakland, CA.

This update is to let you know that Carl is doing well. Because of the cognitive damage Carl suffered 7 years ago from his brain bleed, he has no idea of this campaign and why it was needed.

At the outset in February 2023 of this GFM campaign, Carl’s sister, Pamela Finamore in Anaheim CA, spent much time for the next 2-1/4 months, looking into setting up a Conservatorship for Carl. The conclusion, after a wide variety of sources were consulted in San Francisco and Alameda Counties, was that a Conservatorship for Carl was not an option due to cost, the cumbersome and lengthy nature of setting up a Conservatorship, and the reality that, due to the pandemic’s effect on the judicial system across the country, Courts are overburdened with cases, need more Judges and other personnel to move cases along—and Alameda County Probate Court is among those Courts struggling to handle their caseload. They are presently looking for an additional Judge to help handle cases.

So the reality is, according to a state agency attorney and nonprofit agency attorney—both elder advocacy attorneys who have cases in the Alameda County Court system— it would be at least 9 months before a first hearing would be held, if we filed a Conservatorship case now. And there would be multiple further hearings. And that it would be approximately 2 years before a Conservatorship would be formed.

Other legal sources were consulted with the same conclusion: Conservatorships are expensive and cumbersome legal undertakings. (Anyone wanting to know the sources with which Pamela consulted, please see below for her email address.)

Bottom line: in approximately 2 years, a Conservatorship might be completed. This is obviously not a reasonable option.

There is another option available to ensure Carl‘s continued stay at his home, Pacifica Senior Living. That option will be pursued if it is needed.

Carl likes getting phone calls from friends, and will know who you are if you spell your first name slowly. To call Carl (or to ask any questions) please email his sister, Pamela Finamore in Anaheim, for Carl’s cell number:

[email redacted]

With much gratitude,

Carole

Friend of Carl’s and organizer of this campaign