Photo: TikTok
He couldn't believe it.
By NyRee Ausler — Written on Mar 13, 2023
In 2022, the Veteran’s Administration (VA) reported a decrease of 11% in homelessness among veterans. It’s clear that the issue is being addressed, but there are still a number of vets on our streets who are facing housing instability.
A man named Franklin who served in the United States Army for eight years and had been living on the streets recently got a helping hand from a TikToker named David Cohen of Nice Guy Enterprise.
Cohen has been posting sporadic videos with Franklin over the course of several months, checking in with him and trying to help out where he could.
Franklin is a man with few wants who has consistently shown appreciation for the kind stranger's help. He requests basic necessities like a sleeping bag and urges viewers to help one another in this hard world. And now, thanks to Cohen's viewers, the man has been gifted a generous offering.
The TikToker rented the homeless veteran a hotel for one month so he could get back on his feet.
In a video shared on March 11, Cohen approached Franklin as he sat outside and said, “Franklin, I wanna pay for your hotel room tonight for one month.”
The down-on-his-luck veteran was ecstatic to hear that he would have room and board for the next month and expressed gratitude that he would have a suitable place to “get well.”
Franklin checked into a nice hotel room, complete with double queen-sized beds, a full-sized refrigerator, a microwave, and a coffee maker, each amenity more exciting to him than the last.
The next stop was the store to pick up some new clothes and a ton of useful toiletries like deodorant, shower gel, and Epson salt for a hot bath. In addition, he got enough food to last his entire stay at the hotel and disposable dishes.
After getting settled into his room, Franklin, dressed in a fluorescent green shirt that had “Jesus” printed across the chest, turned to the camera to thank everyone who came to his aid. A grateful Franklin said, “I appreciate everyone that helped me. And I must have died and went to heaven because this is great.”
It was hard for viewers to hold back their emotions for a man who seemed to have a beautiful spirit, despite his circumstances.
Many shared their ‘tears’ of joy and heartache in regard to Franklin’s desperate circumstances. Some offered thoughts and prayer while others wondered what more they could do to help the elderly man get back on his feet.
In response to the immense desire of people to help, Cohen organized a GoFundMe to raise money to get the homeless veteran a permanent place to call his own. The charitable cause raised over $17,000 and Cohen posted another video where he delivered the good news.
In that clip, he started by telling Franklin, “The reason why I ask you that is because I’ve raised enough money to pay your rent for a year. I’m going to keep you off the streets for the next year or two.”
The happy man couldn’t believe his good fortune and excitedly asserted that he wanted to stay at the hotel because he had made himself comfortable and didn’t want to move to another location. But that wasn’t the end of the good news. Cohen talked to Franklin about his desire to help others and promised to help him provide others with some of the same blessings he had received.
Franklin agreed but was careful to explain that they had to make sure the help was getting into the hands of the ‘right people’ who really needed assistance and would not use it for drugs and alcohol. In the end, the inspirational elder left Cohen with some prolific words. He said, “People want a hand up, not a handout.”
NyRee Ausler is a writer from Seattle, Washington, and author of seven books. She covers lifestyle and entertainment and news, as well as navigating the workplace and social issues.