Support a Classmate in Need of Shelter

Hi, my name is Shirley Leto. I am a 1974 graduate from Jonathan Law High School located in Milford, CT. Our class is a very special one. We have remained very close throughout the past 50 years. Our reunions have great turnouts, and we have many gatherings throughout the periods between official reunions.

We have gotten word that one of our classmates has been experiencing extreme hardship. Due to a physical disability, this individual has been unable to work. He moved down south and has tried to establish himself in three different states but has found that his income does not allow him to be financially stable enough to find housing that he can afford. He is currently in Tennessee and has recently become homeless. He has been living in a tent, and the part of Tennessee (higher elevation) he lives in gets extremely cold during the nights, sometimes into the 20s.

What we as a class are doing is trying to raise money for him to acquire some kind of housing in the meantime. He was renting for $1000, but his finances were minimal, and he was often short the full amount, so his landlord asked him to leave. We are trying multiple avenues to assist him in obtaining the funds he needs until he can secure senior housing. The GoFundMe is one avenue; private donations and a fundraiser at a local restaurant are all part of the plan that his classmates have established and are trying to establish on his behalf. We also want to keep his identity private, as the situation is obviously embarrassing to him, and no one wants to cause him any more stress than he is already under.