Identity theft is no laughing matter. In some cases, these thieves can steal more than just your money – they can take your entire life.
Videos by InspireMore
After John Helinski of Tampa, Florida, discovered that his personal identification had been stolen, he had nowhere to turn. Although he is a United States citizen, John had been born in Poland, and he had no birth certificate to prove that he was who he said he was. Once his money ran out, he was forced to live on the streets of Tampa, sleeping in a cardboard box under the city’s park benches.
For three long years, he felt completely alone in the world; entirely forgotten, and invisible.
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One day in 2015, John decided to visit a new homeless shelter that had recently opened called Community Housing Solutions Center. Little did he know that walking through those doors was the first step towards changing his life for the better.
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John was assigned a caseworker who did his best to sort out what had happened to him and how he’d wound up homeless. This case manager, Charles Inman, proceeded to go above and beyond to solve the mystery of John’s life.
“He needed to have an identification, but we couldn’t get an identification without a birth certificate,” Charles explained. But he wasn’t prepared to just give up and send John back out to the streets. “There was no other option than to succeed,” he said.
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Charles enlisted help from Dan McDonald of the Tampa Police department, who stated simply, “I like the challenge.”
With Dan’s help, Charles was able to get John a copy of his birth certificate from Poland, and then they requested copies of his social security card and driver’s license. It seemed that John was on his way back to being able to legally work, which was a huge help… but then something even more incredible happened.
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Over the course of their investigation, Charles and Dan discovered an old bank account that John had completely forgotten about. The bank had changed names over the years, but the account remained open. As it turns out, John’s social security checks were still being deposited into the account!
The money had been sitting there, untouched and earning interest, for several years.
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While John is certainly not a millionaire now, he does has enough money to find himself a home. He’s incredibly grateful to Dan and Charles for helping him get back on his feet. His life is now back on track thanks to the dedication of these two public servants!
Watch the video below to hear the story in John’s own words, and don’t forget to share!
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