Throughout the past year, we have seen a surge in homelessness across the country, with thousands being unable to afford food or shelter.
But, this week, one kind act from a homeless man in California has given him a new start in life.
Keep scrolling for the incredibly wholesome story…
Homelessness has been on the rise for over a decade.
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With the current economic climate making it harder for people to keep up with their rent, the issue is getting out of hand.
And don’t even get us started on owning your own home.
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Judging by the rate of inflation, the younger generation won’t be able to own their own home in their lifetime.
Statistics have shown that this is more than just a national crisis…
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According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Annual Homeless Assessment Report, in 2018, on a given night, there were over 553,000 homeless people in the United States. And that was only on that one night.
Countries around the globe are divided on how to deal with the issue effectively.
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National reports have shown that over 2 percent of the world’s population is homeless – if that had to be converted into a solid figure, it would range between 150-160 million people.
However, these reports also disclose that twenty percent of the world’s population lacks adequate housing.
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That equates to almost 1.6 billion people.
With these statistics in mind, it’s easier to understand that some people may not be as fortunate as us…
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And it’s easy to brand them as lazy or idle, but when the current job sector is already overflowing with candidates, it becomes a more difficult task trying to get on the ladder.
But, sometimes, all that the homeless need is a chance.
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And a twelve-year-old girl is doing exactly that, by raising a staggering amount of money for a homeless man who returned her grandmother’s lost wallet.
Sean Currey was searching for food through a dumpster in San Rafael, California on December 10th…
via: Youtube
When he spotted a wallet belonging to eighty-year-old Evelyn Topper.
Currey, who has been homeless on and off for 5 years, decided to do the right thing and return the wallet to its rightful owner.
via: Youtube
“Anybody in the position of being homeless and cold and tired and hungry, if they found a credit card, they’re going to think about it,” Currey, fifty-seven, admitted. “But whether you’re going to act on it is two different things.” “I would rather be cold and hungry and know that I did the right thing,” he added.
After Currey returned her grandmother’s wallet…
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Her granddaughter, Mikayla Gounard, wanted to show how thankful she was.
So she started raising money for him.
via: Youtube
“What began with a lost wallet, progressed into Mikayla’s drive-by birthday fundraiser, and has now seeded a friendship with the entire family,” Vanessa Topper, Mikayla’s mom, wrote on a GoFundMe page for Currey. “This isn’t about charity. It’s about compassion, the highest form of LOVE.”
Evelyn initially lost her wallet on December 9th, while picking up a coffee with Mikayla at Kamson Coffee.
via: Youtube
CCTV footage shows Evelyn paying for the drinks and then putting her wallet inside her jacket pocket before it fell out.
It wasn’t until she got home that Evelyn realized her wallet was missing…
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“I called the coffee shop immediately. I tore apart my car and my house. I knew it must have dropped somewhere in the parking lot.” “In this little wallet was everything,” she added. “Every credit, debit, medicare card. Everything I own. I was distraught.”
Shortly after the incident, Evelyn received a call…
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On the other line was Currey, asking if they could meet up to return it to her. “I started screaming,” Evelyn recalled. “I couldn’t believe it.”
Currey said he insisted on finding Evelyn and hand delivering it to her…
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Despite his friends telling him to keep it. “Because I got a heart” and “that’s the way I was brought up,” he said. “I would want someone to do the same thing for me if I lost my wallet.”
They arranged to meet in the parking lot of a nearby shopping center, where Currey parks the car that he’s currently living out of.
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Once there, Evelyn gave him money to thank him, before telling her granddaughter about the whole ordeal.
Upon hearing the remarkable story, Mikayla decided that she wanted to do something to thank him further.
She set up a GoFundMe page with the help of her mom, which has since raised a whopping $44,534, at the time of writing.
Their goal is to raise enough money to give Currey a second chance at life…
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Allowing him to get “off of the streets and into a temporary housing situation that keeps him safe and warm.”
With the additional money, the pair hope to hire Currey…
via: gofundme
“To create a sustainable row of tiny houses for the San Rafael homeless community at large, using his design and construction experience,” according to GoFundMe. “An unlikely pair, whose lives became intertwined from one act of honesty and another of generosity,” Vanessa, Mikayla’s mom, wrote on the page. “Let’s learn from our children to plant a seed and watch it grow…”
Currey admitted that he “feels very blessed.”
“Who knew that returning a wallet to someone I didn’t know would turn into something that is gonna spark something really good?” he said in the video. “I believe I have a good heart,” Currey added to the WaPo. “Maybe, if I keep doing the right thing, more people will too, and it will change the world, in a small way, for the better.” What a wholesome story! You can donate to Currey through their GoFundMe here. Keep scrolling for more…