Hayward, a US Army Vet needs and deserves our help

Meet Hayward.

Margi first learned about Hayward last night around 9:30pm. She received a call that there was a senior homeless man living out of his car in Davie.

Upon making phone contact with him, she learned he was a veteran. She immediately made calls to get him assistance and continued to work on his case throughout the afternoon today.

After closing the closet this evening, she drove out to where he was parked to bring him food and meet him personally. What she was about to witness was unimaginable.

Hayward was frail, appeared to be suffering from malnutrition and was distraught. Upon arrival, she realized that he was in survival mode. Not only was he homeless, he couldn’t move his vehicle due to a bad tire. Hayward informed her he had been homeless since May. He showed her his military ID and drivers license. He will be 80 years old next month and was in the US ARMY where he served 3 tours in the Vietnam War.

As she stood there with him, he thanked her for the conversation and shared with her that he missed talking with people. She asked him if he had family or friends who knew what was happening. His response to her was that he had watched his loved ones all pass away and that he was alone in this world. At that moment, he broke down crying, put his head on her shoulder, and wept. Through his tears, he said to her: ‘I am scared to death”.

There was no way she was going to have this man sleep one more night in his car. She was not waiting on veteran services or anyone else - immediate action needed to take place, right then and there. He did not want to go to a hospital to get checked out - he wanted to sleep in a bed. For 4 months this man that served our country slept in a car and bathed with baby wipes. In his frail condition and deteriorating health he has struggled to navigate any veteran services.

She reached out to her Co-Director, local law enforcement and 3 additional Veteran resources and we all agreed we needed to get him off the street’s immediately. She called to have his tire repaired and they headed north and checked him into a hotel. Where he could sleep in a bed, take a shower and no longer fear the elements.

We firmly believe services will be put into place for him swiftly and he will receive the help he needs to regain his life as he deserves. Until then we areasking this group to help us raise some money to help him get back on his feet. Hayward is humble and kind and doesn’t want much of anything.

When asking Hayward what else he may need he said: I miss having someone to talk to. I would like a friend.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Margi Bre via messenger at The Legacy Closet or Tracie Catalano at Mary Ann's Closet.

Thank you in advance.