CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Activist Maurice Stegall has served Clarksville by giving away food, Christmas trees and his time to build a community of love and understanding. Now, he is being evicted, is on the verge of homelessness and is reaching out for help.

“I just wanted them to know that somebody does care,” Stegall said of his community work. But with the COVID-19 pandemic, personal health issues, losses in the family, and now an eviction, it has been harder to do that work.

Stegall has lived in Clarksville for three years and has been happy to call it his home. He volunteers with Clarksville Summit, the NAACP and Clarksville Black Lives Matter.

“What I do for the community is genuine because I love people,” said Stegall, “I don’t look for any rewards or accolades.”

During the peaceful protests on Wilma Rudolph Boulevard, Stegall was diagnosed with COPD, pulmonary fibrosis and obstructive sleep apnea, leaving him with only 45 percent breathing capacity. The medicine he needs to stay alive is $1,600 a month.

Due to health issues and the pandemic, Stegall lost his main job as a maintenance worker, leaving him with only his savings plus pay from some handyman jobs and lower-paying part-time work.

“It’s always the good ones,” said Asia Long, a friend of Stegall. Long worked alongside him during the protests and saw what a toll it took on him. Despite this, Long said that Stegall, “will always put himself last.”

Stegall was told on Jan. 11 that he had a week to vacate his home, displacing his five children who live with him, as well as his pregnant girlfriend and a disabled adult.

This isn’t the first time Stegall has been displaced. Having been homeless as a young teenager, he said, he has lived in 26 states and 109 cities.

Teacher Margaret Thompson, who ran for Clarksville City Council this year, has worked with Stegall on several initiatives.

“He works from sun up to sundown and beyond,” Thompson said.

He most recently built the sleigh for the Black Santa events, and he built the stage for the Party at the Polls event.

“He’s got physical ailments and no medical insurance,” Thompson said, “but he would give the shirt off of his back if he felt like somebody needed a shirt.”

Stegall said he worked through his health issues over the summer because it was important.

“During protests, it was a lot of battle, a lot of sacrifices I did to my own health. But to me, it was much needed,” said Stegall. “What I’m doing is bigger than me. I have kids, and I want them to live in a community or world where everyone is treated equally.”

Thompson created a GoFundMe for Stegall and his family that you can access here.