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Federico and Anthony, both in their late 40s, looked like they had known each other forever. But really they had just met today, on the corner of 16th and Capp streets. They formed a San Francisco postcard, leaning back against a sun-soaked brick wall, laughing softly with quiet ease.

That was until a glass pipe slipped out of Anthony’s hands and shattered on the pavement.

Anthony is a San Francisco native with a debilitating fentanyl addiction, he told Mission Local. Over the past few years, he has struggled to get clean six times but never managed to stay sober for more than a month. He used to love the Mission but he’s getting tired of it — it feels impossible to stay clean when drugs are so accessible.

“I’ve been writing down baby steps — baby goals — to try to achieve them,” he said. His feet began to tap a frenzied rhythm on the sidewalk, and he swayed as he ran his hands through his hair. When asked what his goals were, Anthony said he wanted to go to the DMV on Monday to apply for a driver’s license, and that he wanted to open a bank account so that he could start applying for jobs. Fentanyl is expensive.

Federico watched him, only his gray eyes visible: He wore a handkerchief over his mouth, and a bright red beanie pulled low over his eyebrows. His voice was a painful rasp from the dehydration of smoking crystal meth, a habit he picked up after his mother passed away a year and a half ago.

“I was depressed. She could live for a 100 years but I’d still miss her every day,” he said. “I enjoy crystal meth but I don’t know if I’d call myself addicted.” His habits paint a different picture, however.

Whatever he earns, he spends on drugs, getting high “maybe two, three times a week,” and on rent. He shares a low-income studio on 15th and Mission with three cats, and works as an assistant at a nursing home and a chef at a SoMa homeless shelter.

As Federico talked, Anthony suddenly bent over in the stupor characteristic of fentanyl users. He began dancing around the sidewalk awkwardly. His hands trembled. His dose was taking effect. 

Federico had his eyes trained on a police car that made its way down Capp Street, but it passed without incident.

As Anthony devoured a prepackaged glazed doughnut with a fresh banana inserted through the center, Federico described the origins of their friendship — just earlier this morning. Anthony had seen Federico on the street and called out for help.

“I used to be homeless 10 years ago. I know what life is like on the streets here,” said Federico. “Now I work and I share a little of what I earn with my friends. Life has truly changed.” .

Since he usually picks up night shifts, every other day Federico likes to walk around the Mission District, meeting people, making friends and helping out wherever he can.

“I have a lot of affection for the people here,” Federico said as he and Anthony ambled away, leaving that part of Capp Street empty.

Capp Street

A person bends down near parked cars on a city sidewalk beside a brick building. Various street signs, including a speed limit sign, are visible.5:03 p.m. 10/10, Capp Street, Photo by Anusha Subramanian

Wiese Street

A narrow city alley with metal barricades on both sides, yellow and beige buildings, and a “Mission Graduates” sign on the left. Bright sunlight and a clear blue sky overhead.10:02 a.m. 10/10, Wiese Street, Photo by Anusha SubramanianA narrow urban alleyway with metal barricades, yellow painted wall on the left, and various signs. The sky is clear and blue.4:49 p.m. 10/10, Wiese Street, Photo by Anusha Subramanian

Julian Avenue

A city street lined with parked cars and multi-story buildings under a clear blue sky.10:03 a.m. 10/10, Julian Avenue, Photo by Anusha SubramanianA city sidewalk with parked cars, a school bus, and a lone pedestrian. Multi-story buildings line both sides of the street under a clear blue sky.4:50 p.m. 10/10, Julian Avenue, Photo by Anusha Subramanian

Caledonia Street

A narrow urban alley with colorful graffiti on a wall, a chain-link fence, cracked pavement, and buildings under a clear blue sky.10:04 a.m. 10/10, Caledonia Street, Photo by Anusha SubramanianA narrow urban alleyway with cracked pavement, graffiti-covered fence on the right, and apartment buildings on the left, under a clear blue sky.4:51 p.m. 10/10, Caledonia Street, Photo by Anusha Subramanian

Southwest Plaza

Urban street intersection with traffic signals, vehicles, pedestrians, and overhead power lines against a backdrop of multi-story buildings on a clear day.10:24 a.m. 10/10, southwest plaza on 16th Street, Photo by Anusha SubramanianPeople walk and sit along a city sidewalk next to a building; one person pushes a cart while another sits with bags near the wall. Cars are parked on the street.4:46 p.m. 10/10, 16th St. and Mission across the southwest plaza, Photo by Anusha Subramanian A group of people sits on benches in an urban plaza near a mural that reads "American Indian Cultural District" on a sunny day.4:47 p.m. 10/10, southwest plaza on 16th Street, Photo by Anusha Subramanian

Northeast Plaza

People walk near the 16th St Mission station sign in a sunny urban plaza with palm trees, graffiti, and a parked utility truck nearby.10:26 a.m. 10/10, northeast plaza on 16th Street, Photo by Anusha SubramanianA busy urban sidewalk near a public transit entrance, with groups of people, palm trees, street art, and a bus stopped on the left.4:45 p.m. 10/10, northeast plaza on 16th Street, Photo by Anusha Subramanian16th St Mission BART plaza with people walking, palm trees, string lights, and colorful graffiti murals on surrounding buildings under a clear blue sky.4:46 p.m. 10/10, northeast plaza on 16th Street, Photo by Anusha Subramanian