Homeless man couldn't stop crying after he finds out strangers raised $15,000 so he could have a home

While the lack of affordable housing has become a crisis, a December 2023, report by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development showed that as many as 653,104 Americans were homeless in the country. While one person cannot end the problem, small acts of kindness can make things a bit better for individuals.

Philip Vu, a 24-year-old vlogger, demonstrated this after befriending a homeless man named Mike in New Haven Connecticut, and later went out of his way to make a difference in his newfound friend's life. Vu refused to let the man clean his windows and offered to buy him a falafel sandwich that the two ate in his car. After their conversation, Vu decided to start filming their interaction. In the video posted to X, the two can be seen sharing anecdotes and talking about the different situations that they have found themselves in, during their lifetimes. 

Mike talked about how he ended up on the streets. He said he became homeless right after his mother died in 2020 and that he had spent nearly 22 years in jail. Vu on the other hand belongs to an immigrant Vietnamese family and talked about his years growing up with little to no resources, and his decision to travel the world after graduation. Vu went on to narrate how he came back to a nice bank job, which he later quit just to help people. The vlogger now drives around in his car making people's lives better and documenting all that via TikTok videos.

He later uploaded the video to different social media platforms and the reception that it got prompted Vu to raise money to help his new friend. Together with his TikTok followers as well as friends, he was able to raise $15,000 for Mike via Venmo and GoFundMe. A friend of his also got Capelli Sports to give Mike a whole collection of warm clothes. He later surprised him for Chinese New Year and bought him lunch at Louis' Lunch, a popular burger joint in the city.

After lunch, Vu gave him the merch from Capelli Sports and finally handed him the traditional red envelope with the $1,000 he had raised on Venmo in cash. Mike was moved by Vu's kind gesture and broke down. This is when Vu told him that there was more in store for him. He asked him if there was somebody he could trust with his bank account and help him with the money because there was another $14,000 waiting for him. Mike broke down again and also took the opportunity to tell Vu's mother through the video that she had a wonderful son. 

Metro later reported that Mike was in a better position after he received help from Vu and other donors. Mike was also able to get his social security number, and birth certificate, and has also applied for low-income housing. Moreover, Vu also helped Mike choose a financial advisor so that he could get things sorted for the future.