An Arkansas couple reunited a homeless man with his family 600 miles away in Illinois who had thought he had died.
It all started one day when Dawn Gieber asked, “Why are you homeless?”
The man, only identified as James, had lived the last 15 years on the streets of downtown Little Rock, KARK reported. Gieber, a records specialist at the county courthouse, would see him when she went to work. Her husband, Jodi Gieber, would see James when he was on patrol.
"People would say James was very angry. James was a mean person. He wasn't. James was just hungry," Dawn Gieber told KARK. "He was cold. He was eating out of dumpsters. James just had no resources and my husband and I just felt that there was something we needed to do to help him."
So, the couple worked to find James’ family. After some research, numerous phone calls and emails they were able to reach his family, who thought he had died, around Thanksgiving. They lived in Illinois about 600 miles away.
Before they could make the trek, the Giebers learned James had outstanding warrants in Little Rock, KARK reported. They went before a judge, explained the situation and that they would pay any fees. The judge dismissed the charges.
James is now doing well and living in Illinois, KARK reported.
"Seeing James reunite with his family was so rewarding," Dawn Gieber told KARK. "It was just the right thing to do -- he's a person and that matters."
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