One incredible landlord was so moved by posts he had seen shared online about homeless veterans that he started a Facebook appeal to offer a home to an ex-soldier living on the streets.
Homelessness among ex-servicemen and women is a worldwide problem and Chris Foxall, from Dudley, West Midlands, wanted to make a difference.
So, the 42-year-old turned to social media after one of his rental properties became available last week to ask friends if they knew how he could help re-home someone in need.
In the Facebook post, Chris explained his plan to move the ex-soldier into his vacant one bedroom flat rent-free for the first three months and with no deposit.
Chris Foxall (2nd left) with his wife Lucie and sons, Tom and Louis
He wrote:
This will allow them time to register with the appropriate agencies to get benefits and hopefully a job in place as they will have a fixed address.
The professional landlord also appealed for help in furnishing the flat in Netherton, Dudley.
His Facebook post has since gone viral after more than 45,000 shares and he says he has been overwhelmed by the support after he was inundated with messages.
Speaking to the Mirror Online, he said:
The response has been overwhelming. It’s just fantastic, I’ve had people offering furniture, bedding, toilet rolls and even money. I’ve got a block of four flats and one became vacant last week and I just thought why not give someone a chance and help them get on their feet? It could have been me or someone I know in that position, so that was the whole purpose.
I was driving back from dropping my son off and when I got home I told my wife what I was planning on doing and she thought it was a great idea but said I probably shouldn’t put it on Facebook, but I just didn’t know where else to start or who to contact.
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Posted by Support The British Army on Tuesday, 8 September 2015
Chris has also been in touch with a number of charities since his appeal was shared online on Sunday and, according to a Facebook update last night, he has now found the lucky tenant, who is set to move in over the next few days.
What a guy! Hopefully many more landlords are inspired by Chris’ kind gesture and follow his incredibly generous lead.
