Interview #2 - Francisco Perales - by Eric Crow
I first met Francisco right around the time he won Mr. LA Cub 2016. He is Mr. Sanctuary Leather 2019 currently, and if you spend any time around him or look at his social media profile, you know him for his smile and deep brown eyes (and the occasional butt shot). But when I found out what his role is as an essential worker, I knew he had a perspective we had to read about and learn about. Shout out to the front line workers and essential workers. We’d be in an even bigger mess without you!!!
Eric: Tell me three things about you.
Francisco: I was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas. I joined the US Navy at age 18 and traveled the world for ten years; my favorite place in the world is Bangkok. I studied architecture and photography for 4 yrs and have been living in Los Angeles for seven years.
E: When did you first hear about Covid and what were your initial thoughts? Could you see a lockdown coming? What has been your reaction to the times when CA has tried to re-open?
F: I knew this was going to be bad. I saw that the world would change forever. I had never worked as a civilian to prep my half-way house to deal with an outbreak of any kind. We took several class online and prepared ourselves for the worst. I told myself that 2020 would be a lost year, and I told my friends and my staff to count the year that way, too. I also told them reopening California would only be temporary and to not to get their hopes up. I feel the same way today.
E: Please tell us about your current job and how Covid protocols differ/vary. How much greater is the level of difficulty? How do you fare in your job specifically regarding wearing masks and physical distancing.
F: I work for Volunteers of America and I had been keeping up with the news. My job consists of taking care of homeless veterans, and one day I’d been put in contact with the Department of Health to start getting Covid rooms ready for quarantine. I also work to get them connected to their VA benefits, job and housing. We were told that we should have measures in place for the next year. We had just two weeks to reformulate our program and accept and take care of homeless veterans that would test positive for Covid.
We went from that to having beds for veterans to just have a place to sleep and quarantine. I would not see my residents for weeks at a time, outside of the food and water we brought them three times a day. The Department of Health and would go in to their rooms daily, to check their vital signs and make sure they were still alive and make sure that if their symptoms got worse, we would take them to a VA hospital. Sadly, we’ve had four veterans from my program pass away. Wearing PPE has never been an issue with me, as I was a hospital corpsman in the Navy and grew accustomed to wearing PPE in one of the hottest places in the world. I see wearing PPE as a matter of survival.
E: As you see it, what is the experience of being homeless in the time Covid? Are the clients you deal with more or less strict in adherence to protocols? What do your clients tell you about thoughts/fears/emotions they have about Covid? What do you do to calm their fears and anxieties?
F: I wish my clients would take the matter more seriously. I work with veterans that have a history of substance abuse, so for them the pandemic is second in their minds to of scoring drugs. That is the saddest thing I have to deal with on the job. I have had to worry for them and had to mourn the loss of their friends, as well. My clients have generally lost all connection to the real world, but once in a while they wake up and understand that a friend or family member has passed away. So they understand, but then turn around and get high that same night, going back to a world they created where everything is a party. This is what I mean when I say I have to care for them and mourn for them. When they are sober enough to have a conversation with, I’m there to listen and get them up to speed on what’s happening in their life, as well as what we’ve been doing for them. Those are good days for me, because I feel I’m getting through to them; in some cases, they stay sober for longer than they ever have, and I see hope in their eyes. That’s all I can do.
E: Resources for homeless vets in LA regarding Covid, especially if you have any LGBTQ+ service members? Has there been any difference?
F: All services near and in the DTLA have always helped the LGBTQ+ community, for example our program does not turn anybody away based on their sexual orientation. We help anybody and everybody.
E: How has your mental/emotional health and well-being been during Covid? What are your crisis coping/survival stress skills? What do you do to de-stress when you get home, and what do you do to try and maintain a sense of normalcy/balance?
F: I'm basically in survival mode. I’m the Supervisor of eight employees and the House Supervisor for 50 residents who experience homelesness. This means that everybody comes to me with their problems. I was thankful enough get this type of experience while i was in the Navy. Still, though I know how to work under pressure, that doesn't mean I don’t need something to ground me and keep me sane. I try to work out as much as I can, or I come home and take my dog for a walk. Also, spending time with friends in my bubble is more than enough for me to unwind.
E: Sanctuary Studios is currently having a Go Fund Me drive to keep the facility open and the lights on (reword). As a Mr. Sanctuary, tell us of your concerns.
F: My biggest concern would be that we don't get enough donations, Sanctuary was the first organization to really embrace my kinks and they have taught me so much. Even though I’m not the current titleholder, I still feel like I’m always doing things for them, doing charity with them or demos that brings honor and prestige to the Dungeon that gave me a title and a purpose in life, the kinkiest Leather title out there.
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