Couple Befriends 'Mean' Homeless Man Only To Reunite Him With Family 600 Miles Away

May 31, 2022

Homelessness in the United States has been a growing problem since the 1980s. According to the Harbor Interfaith Service, homelessness skyrocketed in the 80s because of two significant factors "the economy and the deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill."

The Great Inflation of the 70s put the western world in an economic crisis. The U.S. government placed deep budget cuts on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), a U.S. government agency founded to improve Americans' housing needs and enforce fair housing laws. According to the National Library of Medicine, the HUD budget decreased from $29 billion in 1976 to $17 billion in 1990.

New policies called for the deinstitutionalization of patients in psychiatric hospitals and transitioned them into community-based programs. But with not enough funding and resources, many of the newly released patients ended up on the street. According to Policy Net, 25% of the United States homeless population suffer from severe mental illness, and only 30% of affordable housing is available for individuals with extremely low incomes (ELI). These factors are what birthed modern homelessness in the U.S.

Despite a significant increase in programs and community-based organizations to help individuals battling homelessness, there is still a negative perception of the homeless community. According to the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance (WLIHA), it is a common misconception that homeless people are violent criminals when in fact, homeless people are less likely to be perpetrators of violent crimes and more likely to be victims of them compared to a housed person.

A couple in Arkansas, Jodi and his wife Dawn Gieber put aside their preconceived notions about a local homeless man named James and set out to help him. Their decision changed James's life for the better in 2019.  

In an interview with Little Rock, Arkansas, local news channel, Kark.com, Dawn described James' reputation around town. 

"People would say James was very angry. James was a mean person. He wasn't," Dawn said. "James was just hungry. He was cold. He was eating out of dumpsters."

Dawn recalled seeing him on her way to and from work at the courthouse. So naturally, she was intrigued by James and one day, decided to ask him a question. 

"I just asked him, 'Why are you homeless?" Dawn told the outlet. "I treated him like a human – we all have a story." 

James confided in Dawn that he had lost contact with his family and didn't know how to reach them. Dawn told her husband Jodi, and together, they began searching for James' family. After making several calls, sending numerous emails, and leaving voice messages, they received a response. Around thanksgiving, James' niece called the Giebers. She told the couple that they had been looking for James and assumed he was dead.  The Giebers arranged for James to speak with his family over the phone. After witnessing the emotional reunion, the couple decided they had to take James home.

Before the couple set out on their road trip to reunite James with his family, they went to the courthouse to pay off his outstanding warrants. Dawn went before the judge and explained James' situation, and the judge dismissed all charges.

The couple and James set out on their 600-mile journey, driving their car from Arkansas to Illinois. Although the trip was long, Dawn referred to it as "rewarding." 

"It was just the right thing to do – he's a person and that matters," Dawn said.

KARK.com received an update about James from his brother, revealing James is "doing well."

Jodi and Dawn Gieber are examples of how just being kind can change somebody's life. What are some ways that your kindness has impacted somebody else's life, or how has kindness impacted your life? Let us know — and be sure to pass this article on to friends and family members, showing them the power of empathy.