'They’re saving my life': Local group continues mission to secure permanent housing for homeless senior

A group of local do-gooders are continuing their work to find permanent housing for a senior who had been living in his truck with his two dogs for two-and-a-half years.

“Everything’s a challenge when you live in a truck, even a big car like the Escalade,” the 64-year-old told CTV News. “Everything's a challenge. Cooking, keeping yourself clean, brushing your teeth, everything becomes a challenge.”

The group, known as the “Housing Helpers” on Facebook, was first made aware of George’s living circumstances in December. With the harsh winter temperatures and concerns for safety for both George and his dogs, they made the decision to step up.

George in his pickup truck. (Hannah Schmidt/CTV Kitchener)

“It's definitely been a learning curve, one that none of our admins regrets for one second,” said group member Jocelyn Schaefer. “It's a lot of hard work, but we've had a lot of very, very supportive people and we continue to have a lot of supportive people, which we are very, very thankful for."

By mid-January, George was living at an Airbnb funded by Housing Helpers.

Those donations have since dwindled and the group is paying out of pocket for his expenses.

George then had to make one of the toughest decisions he’s ever had to make – giving up his dogs to the local humane society.

“I trust this group with my life,” he explained. “I made the hard sacrifice. It’s a hard decision, but the hardest one was the dogs. And I got to tell you, I’m still not certain I made the right decision, but I didn’t have a choice.”

George now lives at a motel, weighing his options and patiently looking for an affordable place to live.

“Once again, I just got to say you can’t give up.”

He hopes he'll be able to share his new home with a furry companion.

“I want to find a private room that will allow me to get a dog,” he said. “I’ve had a dog since I was 10-years-old.”

George in his motel on April 9, 2024. (Hannah Schmidt/CTV Kitchener)

Schaefer said the group reached out to the Region of Waterloo to inquire about subsidized housing for George but, after being passed along to several different people, they are still in the same position as before – with no secure long-term housing.

“If we get a response we're, you know, we're grateful,” she explained. “But nine times out of 10, currently our experience has been that we just aren't getting the phone calls back. We do understand that [he] is one of many people that are in the system and are requiring help. So we do understand that that nothing is going to happen overnight.”

Schaefer knows it can take more than 10 years to get into subsidized housing.

“It's been very discouraging, but we keep doing our best and that's all that we can do.”

CTV News reached out to the region for comment but did not receive a response.

While finding affordable housing within the region can be a challenging process, Schaefer said the Housing Helpers group is committed to support George.

“He's a teddy bear, he's a great man. He just unfortunately ran into some hard times a few years ago and living in the truck was ultimately what he felt that he needed to do. But his outlook is great. He doesn’t deserve any of this and none of this was his fault. He’s working very hard along with us, as well as myself, to get things right again.”

George in an undated photo from his GoFundMe page.

But time is ticking.

George is getting shoulder surgery in June and the group hopes to find him a place ahead of time so he has somewhere to recover.

“He's working very, very hard along with us as well as himself, to get things right again,” Schaefer explained.

“I love them, I trust them with my life,” George said. “I probably wouldn’t be alive today without them to tell you the truth.”

The group is currently accepting donations through GoFundMe and is encouraging people to join the Housing Helpers Facebook group which currently has over 11,000 members, all of whom are supporting and helping people facing homelessness.

“They’re saving my life, and I couldn’t be more grateful,” George said.

For ways to help George and others within Waterloo Region, check out Housing Helpers on Facebook.