Homeless drifter trying to get “home” – May 1, 2016

A 52 year old man has been homeless for the majority of his adult life.  He is a very pleasant and sober fellow but a true drifter in the sense of the word.  He has traveled about the country working when and where he can but living for the most part on the streets.  In the past year or so he has come down with severe COPD which makes it difficult for him to breathe especially in cold climates.  He was in the southeast for the winter and recently lost his wallet and all his important papers.  Without an ID it was next to impossible for him to get work especially with his illness but he was trying to "walk" home to Ohio to get new ID's.  He was in the Charleston area when he became weak, malnourished and fell sick and collapsed on the streets in West Ashley.  He was treated at Roper St Francis hospital but was discharged once he was stabilized.  The hospital called the men’s homeless shelter in Summerville asking to admit him as they were worried about him being on the streets.  He was not looking to stay at the shelter but rather wanted to try to get back to Cleveland OH where he was born to get his ID’s reissued.  He has an older sister there also.  In the past his sister helped him a little financially but she herself became ill and was unable to do so. She said if he could make it back to Cleveland he could stay with her for a while until he got his affairs back in order.  Change for a Dollar helped with getting him a bus ticket to Ohio.

Bus ticket to Cleveland - $149.00