The divide at El Camino Real

Special Issue | The St. Francis Center provides help for families on the wrong side of the road | Amy Vercher

ST. FRANCIS CENTER

In this city just south of San Francisco a four-lane El Camino Real divides rich from poor. On one side, a Maserati dealership. On the other, windows draped with bedroom sheets and rusted cars parked on lawns. The poor side of the royal highway is "a pretty rough area," says Hector Acosta, a deputy sheriff: "Methamphetamine is the most prevalent drug, a lot of intoxicated people."

Just blocks from a zip code of wealth and distinction, red tennis shoes hang from the telephone line above a vacant lot. They mark the territory of Nortenos, a prominent gang. Across the street Sister Christina Heltsley glances up and then enters the St. Francis Center of Redwood City, which she serves as executive director. The 20-year-old center, when open, provides a safe haven for families torn apart by drugs, gangs, and poverty. (It closes for a month during July and August and for two weeks in December.)