CASEWORKER HELPS HOMELESS MAN TO FIND HIS TRUE IDENTITY, ENDS UP LEARNING A SURPRISING TRUTH

 

Helinski relocated to the U.S with hopes for a better future. However, the future had other plans for him. Having no friends, no family around the man soon got homeless. He began to live his days on the streets. He spent three years on streets spending for himself until a caseworker named Inman decided to help him. The caseworker and an officer had made it their mission to get the man identity and a better life. Luckily, they even succeed in doing so and think that their task is done when a surprising detail about the homeless man comes to their notice. Something that he had done years ago was going to change the caseworker’s perception about the man.

Immigrant

Helinski had his childhood spent in Poland. He decided to relocate to the States. He was very excited about moving to the States. However, little did he know his decision of moving would mark an unforgettable event in his life.    

No Home

Things were not the way he had thought. The man received the most horrific welcome from the people of the country. He got his personal identification documents taken away from him. He had no home to live in.

Tampa

The place he had relocated was Tampa. The city is famous for its white-sand beaches and good restaurants floating on the water. Helinski could not enjoy any of them as he was far away from all that struggling day to day for keeping his body and soul together. 

No ID

The man did not have his ID with him. And without his ID, it was even more difficult for him to get a place to put up in a homeless shelter. The man had nowhere to go. In the absence of all the options, he had to make streets his shelter.     

Pathetic Night And Day

He told, “I just managed on my own… I remember having a cardboard box, and sleeping by the bus stop.” He went on, “I’d be underneath the benches there, and no one would see me.” Helinski had no existence for the people.  

Efforts In Vain

No matter how much he tried, he could not get his identity verified. The loopholes in the system proved to be a big hamper in the work. And unfortunately, it was just the beginning of his hardships. 

Feeling Hopeless

The man had no money with himself. He was broke and helpless. Finding a bed every night was a difficult task and what more difficult was to get a hot meal. Not everyone is lucky enough to get a square meal. The man sometimes had to sleep on an empty belly.      

Lost And Forgotten

The man had no family. Even though he managed to get a shelter and meal for himself, he still craved love and respect from people. Some people would shoo him away like a fly and others would take no notice of him. He had gotten tired of it but there was nothing he could do. He had seen a lot in a short span of time. Unfortunately, the ordeal did not seem to have an end. 

A Home?

He found a home. But that home was not like a usual home built of bricks. It was made of cardboard boxes. Every night after being insulted by strangers, he would go back to his home and spend the rest of the night. 

One Day Something Happened

The best thing about time is that it changes. The time of this homeless man too was going to take a turn. He had gotten fed up of finding bed every night so one day he took the step of finding a bed at the Hillsborough County ‘s Community Housing Solutions Center that is in Tampa. The hostel renowned as DACCO was going to turn his life around. 

DACCO

DACCO works with the aim of providing shelter to the homeless. It had begun with a mission in 2015. Antoinette Triplett, Tampa Hillsborough Homeless Initiative’s Chief Executive Officer, puts it aptly, “to reduce the number of people who experience homelessness, and also the length of time people experience homelessness.”

The Caseworker

The peculiar case of Helinski was given to a caseworker of DACCO. He was assigned with the task of looking into the current situation of Helinski. This one of a kind case had intrigued him to a great extent. So, he decided to get to the bottom of it. 

It’s Complicated

No need to say that the case he had taken into his hand was very complicated. But the man was too determined to cow down. The story of this homeless man had moved him completely.   

 A Feeling In His Gut

He could not help but take up this case after he heard his sad story. He knew from the very beginning that this case was going to take lots of his attention and time yet he chose this one. The man’s intuition was constantly telling him to pursue this case and so he did.       

High Hopes

Charles Inman, the worker said, “He needed to have an identification, but we couldn’t get an identification without a birth certificate.” Moreover, it was too difficult to turn down his request. The man had pinned him with high hopes.    

Chances Are Low

The case-worker did not want to give him false hopes. Even though he really wanted to help him, he knew the chances were very less as the man held no documents. However, he told him that he would do whatever he can.

Sleepless Nights

That night the caseworker couldn’t sleep. He could feel the burden of his promise that he had made to that helpless old guy. He kept tossing and turning on the bed. Would he be able to deliver on that? 

What Would It Be?

Next morning he went to the center to meet the old man. The man was still doubtful whether he should go ahead with the case or not. But what he saw there broke his heart completely. He saw the old man praying to the god. He was thanking God for finally listening to his prayer and sending the caseworker into his life.

No Other Option

It was then the caseworker decided to pursue this case with all his heart and soul. He said, “There was no other option but to succeed.” “You know, the thought of putting a 62-year-old man back on the street wasn’t acceptable,” he added further. 

An Unlikely Lifeline

The mission of Inman soon became the mission of a police officer Dan McDonald when the former told the cop the story of the homeless man. And just like Inman, he refused to give up because of the problem of the lack of documentation. He said, “I like a challenge,”   

Detective Skills Come Out

As mentioned earlier, Helinski had taken birth in Poland. However, he was a U.S. citizen. McDonald said, “First we had to figure out that we needed a consular record.” They had finally found it and now was the time to take another step. 

Clues

After finding out that he is a U.S. citizen the duo samaritans helped him getting a driver’s license along with a social security card. The man who spent three years of his life as no one finally had an identity.   

All At Best

McDonald too was putting his best efforts to help Helinski. He said, “First, I drove him personally to the local tax collector’s office, where he was able to get a temporary State of Florida ID card.”

One Step Closer

They had successfully done away with one of the obstacles. Very soon the homeless man would get his identity back. This is what the homeless man, Inman, and McDonald were hoping. The duo had gained lots of confidence by this little success. However, still, there was a lot to do.      

Thankful

In the last three years, Helinski had never felt so happy. His ordeal that spanned for three years was finally coming to an end. The man was extremely thankful for Inman. The man explained, “He went beyond the call of duty.”

Unexpected Turn Of Events

The old man himself was a mystery. The officer and Inman had managed to find a lot about the old man but still, they were unfamiliar to one aspect of his life. This man had something in his past that the duo had not expected ever.    

About To Give Up

Helinski had given up all the hopes before his case came under officer McDonald. These three years had stripped him of his confidence, faith, and hopes. His grim situation had taken the best of him. He recalled, “People would just walk past me and ignore me.”       

Amazing Discovery

As Inman and McDonald proceeded with their investigation, they stumbled upon an interesting fact about the man. The man had not told them anything about it. They wondered why did he keep them in the dark. It was such an important detail.  

The Confrontation

It was time to confront the old man. They had a number of questions on their mind. They had been struggling to find his identity for a long time and not for once did he tell them about that particular deed that he had done years ago.

An Account

Amazingly, Helinski owned a bank account. He had made his account in a Tampa Bank. The name of the bank had changed over the years. At the time when the man had made his account, it was named Landmark Bank but over the years it changed to Bank Of America.

Regular

And due to a change in name, Helinski soon forgot about it. He remembers, “It was Landmark Bank, and then it became Bank of America.” Whereas he was struggling to live another day on the street, the benefits were paid into his account regularly.    

Confusion And Disbelief

Due to the change in the name of the bank, he had forgotten about it. This is strange how could someone forget their bank account. Helinski had the memories of the bank erased from his mind due to the fact that the account was not storing much money.      

Starting To Become Clear

As mentioned earlier, Helinski was an American citizen so he did have social security benefits. And it is because of that the amount in his bank was increasing year after year. The money that was forgotten and unspent had grown into a valuable amount by then. 

Amount

Finally, the team got their hands on it. We don’t know the exact amount but have been told that it is good. Helinski’s carer did not know how to react. He indeed had never seen a case like this. So what was going to happen next?   

Securing House

Officer McDonald said, “I think we were both stunned, not quite sure what to say.” Well, the statement pretty much sums up their situation when they learned about it. Though the amount was not very big, it was more than enough to help him have some secure housing. 

   It’s A Job

McDonald explained, “As a homeless liaison officer, the bread and butter of my work often involves hopping department to department trying to help homeless people find the ID they need in order to get things like work and housing.” 

A Success

He too had little hope when he had started on this case. But their perseverance and hard work made it a success. So, when they heard about a bank account on his name, it put them in disbelief.    

Over Now

His ordeal was over now. Which implies that he would not have to live on the streets anymore. Gone are the days when he used to sleep by hugging himself tight so that he could get some warmth in teeth-clattering winter. 

A House

Now finally, he could get himself a house. A real house made of stones and bricks and not of cardboard boxes. The man had no words to express his feelings. Life had been playing games with him since the time he relocated to the U.S.     

Two Guardian Angels

The man would have never remembered or found about his bank account had Inman and the officer not stepped in to help him. Had they not taken interest in his life story, Helinski would still be sleeping on streets and living in a home made of cardboard boxes.  

Just Like A Dream

Helinski explained, “I guess I’m exhilarated, excited, you know.” The man deserved to be this much happy as this was the first time he had felt happy in three years. The first thing that the homeless man thought was to get himself home. He thought of renting a small apartment with his deposit. 

Close Call

Inman was still in disbelief. He said, “This situation looked really difficult, and I wasn’t sure how it was going to end up.” “If it failed, it meant we’d put a 62-year-old man on the street, and Officer McDonald and I were not OK with that,” he added. 

To Get A Bed

Inman had taken up the task but it was going to be very difficult. He expressed, “John was born in Poland, so it made it even more difficult for him to get new ID …I helped him out and said, that we will figure this out and get him a bed.”

Savior

Helinski always wanted to get out of his sad situation but had lost hope. Just when he had given up, Inman came into his life and became his savior. Life truly has its own plans.  

Is Helinski In Good Hands?

The police officer explained, “He has the money now to move into his own home …He deserves it. He’s a very good, sweet and genuine man.” Though the case has reached its final stage, the officer still thinks that he needs care. 

Change In Perception

McDonald said, “Our job is not to arrest someone. It’s to help them. Homeless people are still accountable to the law, but they’re now starting to see we can be trusted, and this new model and field of policing is gaining popularity very quickly, I think.”

Not For All

Unfortunately, not every homeless man is so fortunate. Some have to die there after spending their whole life on the street. One should not suffer so badly because of their luck.   

Sending The World A Message

This unique story won many people’s heart. It became a hot story in the world of news media. Every channel was running this story. And each and every individual who came across it was all surprised.   

Rights For All

Not many homeless people know that they too are entitled to the same rights and securities as other normal citizens do. However, very few of them apply for these securities. But what if they don’t have an account. Well, there is a solution to this problem also……

Third Party

In case homeless people do not own a bank account they can make use of securities via direct mail sent by a third party.

And this is not just the responsibilities of officers but ours too, to help homeless men. They too deserve a better future.