Richard

Richard had a degree, a successful business, a family, and a home. Then came divorce, the loss of his mother, COVID, and eventually eviction. After months of living in his car and on friends’ couches, Richard made his way to Philly House where he found a safe place to stay, access to healthcare, and a path forward.

No matter how many part time jobs worked, living in a car, and couch surfing, sometimes the bottom falls clear out.

This is Richard’s story.

Richard grew up in Haverford, Pennsylvania, graduated with a degree from New York University, worked, started a successful company, was married and has a daughter. After a divorce he moved back to Pennsylvania to the only family he had, his mother. He worked while visiting his mom almost every day. She died at 90 years old after a long and full life. After this, Richard returned to Florida. But then, COVID.

Richard had COVID three times, and it left him with severely diminished lung capacity. He was evicted from his Florida apartment after it was flooded in 2023. Through the months he lived in his car, in the back of a friend’s pick-up truck, and in another friend’s living room,

“I wanted to thank you again for all you have done for me, helping me escape the streets with dignity and security.”

— Richard

Richard tried to make it work. But with the cost of even the most basic housing or weekly rent at a hotel at $450 per week, it was impossible to make ends meet. Cash flow runs out and making deposits on apartments or prepaying hotel rooms to make it cheaper doesn’t work anymore. With no safety net and savings depleted, a church in Florida paid for Richard to return to Philadelphia.

Richard came to Philly House in mid-September 2024. He is living in the Philly House Emergency Shelter while looking for a job and he gets to pursue better healthcare and medication through our weekly JeffHope Clinic. Richard is on track now out of homelessness and back into life. In his own words, Richard writes – “I wanted to thank you again for all you have done for me, helping me escape the streets with dignity and security.”