A lifelong surfer, Sean Geary is happiest in the midst of ocean swells that are bigger than buildings. Perhaps that’s because he understands the delicate balancing act that comes with unexpectedly soaring to incredible heights on top of a wave, only to be crushed by it moments later.
A few days before Christmas in 1994, Geary’s first trip to Mavericks in Half Moon Bay — a popular surf location that is home to some of the biggest and most challenging waves in the world — ended with Geary riding a 20-foot wave on a bodyboard.
“To my knowledge, it was the first time a person bodyboarded out there,” said Geary, showing video footage on YouTube of the iconic moment three decades ago, which an onlooker captured. “The next day, same conditions, same time of day, Mark Foo, one of the top five big-wave surfers, drowned there.”
They knew that once I was housed, I could maintain it. But the steps were too big for me to take on my own
It wasn’t until much later that Geary began to understand the high and low tides that ruled his life, when he was diagnosed as being bipolar with ADHD. Geary’s dual diagnosis made it difficult to manage his medications and appointments.
In 2019, at age 51, he slipped into homelessness. The stress of being unhoused exacerbated his condition, according to his case worker, Marina Hernandez, who said that Geary needs routine to thrive. At the time, Geary was employed at a restaurant in San Francisco, but struggled to keep up with the Bay Area’s high rents. When COVID-19 hit in early 2020, he lost that job as a result of pandemic closures.
In spite of his own struggles, Geary found purpose in advocating for others in similar predicaments. Two years after losing his job, he became the lead plaintiff of a successful lawsuit against the city of Pacifica that struck down a law that banned RV parking within city limits.
“We scored a lot of wins for low-income Pacificans,” Geary said proudly.
And this summer, Geary managed to end his stint of homelessness. He credits the support he received from staff at the Pacifica Resource Center, who he said not only believed in him, but also helped him access resources that were available to him but that he struggled to navigate while living on the streets.
“They knew that once I was housed, I could maintain it. But the steps were too big for me to take on my own,” said Geary.
The social services organization’s staff helped Geary apply for assistance from the Chronicle Season of Sharing Fund, which works throughout the year to help house, care for and nourish Bay Area residents.
While Geary was eligible for a housing voucher and was even able to secure his own apartment, he did not have the savings to leave behind the RV that he called home in recent years. In July, Season of Sharing helped Geary bridge the gap by providing him funding to cover his security deposit, first month of rent and new furniture for his new apartment in Pacifica. He moved in just a few weeks before his 55th birthday.
“I’m so happy not to be a homeless senior citizen,” he said.
While Geary’s story is not uncommon in the Bay Area, where more than 35,000 people are counted as homeless on any given night, it demonstrates the vulnerabilities of living unhoused and the barriers that many face when it comes to maintaining shelter and housing.
Geary said that people who have not experienced homelessness may not realize how difficult it is to get through a single day.
“Being homeless is expensive. You don’t have refrigeration. You can’t store your leftovers. You have to carry everything around with you. Water itself is heavy. You can’t stay hydrated,” said Geary.
The Daly City native comes from an Air Force family, and said he attended 22 different schools before he graduated high school. Geary also said that his mother and stepfather “left me behind” after moving out of state when he was still a teenager.
By the time Geary’s mental health struggles were identified, they had already “destroyed” his life and family, he said. Geary has a 13-year-old son who lives with his estranged ex-wife.
“I literally had hundreds of jobs,” said Geary. “I didn’t know what was going on with me. I just had a lot of energy and was curious about new things. I couldn’t see very far ahead into the future.”
After moving into his RV, Geary said that he was unable to access his medicine and staying afloat became increasingly challenging.
“That’s when I lost everything. I lost my ability to function, to order my thoughts. I would forget to eat,” he said. “And when you don’t have a private life for yourself, you find the need for escapism.”
Geary said that people who have not experienced homelessness may not realize how difficult it is to get through a single day.
“Being homeless is expensive. You don’t have refrigeration. You can’t store your leftovers. You have to carry everything around with you. Water itself is heavy. You can’t stay hydrated,” said Geary.
But Geary found solace and support in his animal companion, a German shepherd named wRex (a pun on “wrecks”), whom he scooped up from an animal shelter in San Francisco in March 2020. Being highly trained, wRex understands commands in four different languages.
“My favorite nickname for him is ‘coach,’ ” said Geary.
In their new apartment in Pacifica, Geary and wRex have found things that they haven’t had in years: peace, comfort and routine. They regularly head to the beach to exercise, and Geary has started surfing again. He’s even hosted his son in his new home.
He said that while addressing the homelessness crisis is a complex issue, people in vulnerable situations should not have to reach their low point before receiving help.
“I absolutely had to lose everything and hit rock bottom before I could get the services, and it didn’t have to be that way,” he said. “I needed some medication. I needed a little hand-holding to get back on track before it all fell apart. My three years of homelessness was entirely avoidable with proper medication, proper services. So that’s how you help out a lot, by mitigating it before it happens.”
Reach Laura Waxmann: laura.waxmann@sfchronicle.com