Hi community,

We're Norbert and Tess Meissner, and we are humbly reaching out to help our aging parents, Jerzy and Janina, who are on the brink of homelessness, less than 60 days from losing their long-term rental unexpectedly, through no fault of their own.

Priced out of the San Diego housing market, we are urgently seeking support to convert Norbert's garage into a self-contained unit that will safely house our parents permanently. This is critically important, as they both have progressive medical conditions that will require them to be close to ongoing and trusted support.

Our parents escaped with us from communist Poland 36 years ago, leaving everything and everyone they knew with two small children in tow. In search of greater opportunities for their kids, they sacrificed their entire small fortune to create a new life in the United States, with no extended family, no close friends, no shared language or customs, and no clue how they would survive.

Life in America provided many challenging twists and turns, which our mom and dad used to instill in us a powerful work ethic, dedication to family, and commitment to helping the less fortunate - a legacy they're now sharing with their three grandkids. After a lifetime of hard work, they have found themselves vulnerable again. After 14 years of tenancy, they are at the mercy of a landlord who wants to make more money on his property, which happens to be exempt from the recent tenant protection acts (yes, we have contacted legal support to confirm this). On a fixed income with few financial resources, our parents need help quickly.

As a family, we are pooling together the resources we have to build out Norbert’s garage into a full unit for our parents to live safely, comfortably, and permanently. Your donations will be used to directly fund the conversion of Norbert's garage into a self-contained unit that will safely house our parents permanently. This project is on an accelerated timeline as they need to be out of their home in less than 60 days.

They say it takes a village to raise a child; but, it also takes a village to care for aging family members. From the whole Meissner family, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being a part of our village, for taking the time to read our story, and for contributing to our campaign if you feel inspired to do so. We also encourage you to share our campaign whether or not you have the capacity to donate.