Meet Joe Langone, Joe is a 79 year old resident of Winter Park, Florida. He has been living at a government-subsidized apartment for elderly people on fixed incomes for over 15 years. The location of this facility is ideal in that it is within walking distance from groceries, banks, and other daily needs which works well for seniors like Joe who cannot afford transportation, have some physical limitations, and cannot walk far. Joe is a kind soul, always helping neighbors, waving hello, stopping to chat when he’s outside and people stroll by, taking care of stray neighborhood cats, and keeping an eye out when people are roaming the neighborhood breaking into cars, assaulting others, and generally misbehaving. Joe suffers from COPD, a lung condition, Parkinson’s Disease, and some minor cognitive ailments. Joe was a man of the cloth in Italy years ago, he is a devout Catholic who attends mass weekly and lives by the book, he’s a genuinely good man with a heart that could instantly fill a room when he enters it. Joe has no family and has few close friends, but is friendly with everyone.

During the early months of the pandemic, with no vaccine in sight, COVID was extremely dangerous to the elderly, especially those like Joe who was predisposed and weakened with ailments such as heart and lung function issues, Joe was desperately concerned about exposing himself to activities such as grocery shopping. Being on a fixed income comprised only of a Social Security check which Joe receives on the third Friday of every month, Joe had to be very careful with his money, he managed to save almost $8,000 from his working days which he used to subsidize his living standards which by all accounts are below the poverty line. When Joe’s neighbor approached him to see if he would assist her grandson with a small side business he had grocery shopping for the elderly who were too afraid to leave their homes for a small $10 fee, Joe jumped at the opportunity to help even though he couldn’t afford it. He befriended the young man and gave him his ATM card along with a shopping list of items never to see this man, his groceries, or his life savings ever again.

One day shortly thereafter walking the dog, I saw Joe sitting outside his building, naturally, I approached him, kept my social distance, and chatted as I always do but this time something was different, after prodding, Joe finally told me he was behind in his rent and his Social Security check was still a few weeks away from hitting his mailbox. My wife and I insisted on taking care of his rent payment to ease his mind against Joe’s wishes, he didn’t want to impose on us. Several more months went by, one thing led to another, and Joe, lacking the cognitive abilities and knowledge of Tenancy law, fell further and further behind in his rent and eventually was evicted by the housing authority that governs his building. Even in desperation, Joe was too embarrassed to reach out until his friend called us explaining what had happened. Joe was within 24-48 hours of finding himself homeless with literally $5.00 to his name. After a week of back and forth, we managed to temporarily stabilize his situation, allowing him to stay in his apartment for he wouldn’t have survived out on the streets, even in the mild Florida winters.

Please help us raise money to help Joe out. Joe doesn’t deserve what he’s gotten in life. The man wouldn’t hurt a fly, would give the shirt off his back to help anyone in need, now it’s time for us to help him out a little. We’re looking to raise $10,000 to allow Joe to catch up on his rent, buy some badly needed clothes, some groceries, and a little buffer in his bank account to ensure that this doesn’t happen again. We have assembled a small group of volunteers to help with shopping, taking him to doctor appointments, filling his fridge, etc. All Joe wants is to live out his life in his dinky 400sf apartment and return to being the happy, good citizen and neighbor that he has always been.

Please feel free to contact me direct with any questions regarding Joe, and thank you for your kindness and generosity, it won’t go unnoticed!