One Homeless Man

For the past 6 months, a chronically homeless man has been living in my car. A co-worker and I have helped him explore the options available, but it seems our best hope is to turn to you, the community, for help. We'd like to raise enough money to cover a studio apartment for a year, so that he can get off the street and out of my car and rebuild his life - something he really wants to do - in a stable, home environment.

The background:  last December, an old acquaintance of my co-worker's reached out to him for help. Newly homeless, he asked if he could sleep in his car. This man had lost his apartment in April 2012  after losing his job of close to a decade. He had been relying on friends to house him up to this point. He has no safety net and no family.

The shelter, while a vital resource, can be dangerous. I could tell it took a lot for him to ask for this help - and took pity on the fact that he had resorted to asking my co-worker, a man he barely knew and had not seen in almost ten years. Winters can be harsh here. The co-worker could not offer up his car, but I could.

Since then, he's been in my barely-running, ten-year-old, Ford Focus, which my roommate and I move every couple of nights  to a new location (after we jump start it) so as not to attract attention. The car issues are important because they explain the urgency of the situation. My registration expires at the end of July. I will not be renewing it (the repairs are not worth it) and instead am planning to sell my car. I also do not intend to buy a new one at this time. This means that there's only a little over a month left to find a solution.

We can find him a decent studio apartment for about $600/month. With utilities, a security deposit, and some basic furniture and supplies, we think $10,000 (after admin fees to this website) will provide him with a one-year lease and the basic necessities. This would be a strong foundation for him and a springboard to finding a new job, which we are also endeavoring to help with.

We would like to keep him anonymous because we think it will be easier for him to re-integrate into society, but if anyone doubts the veracity of this story or my integrity, I encourage you to call my employer at (801) [phone redacted] and ask for a reference.

I believe in helping people who need help (everyone needs help at some time or another). Please consider helping this one homeless man turn his life around. If you can't afford to give to this cause, please consider forwarding it to anyone you know who can. Thank you.