Support Vinny’s Recovery after Tragic Fire and Loss of Home

My name is Taylor and I met Vinny while working for a local nonprofit a couple years ago. After crossing paths in the alleyway behind the office one day, I offered him the rest of my lunch, and we chatted a bit before he went on his way. At this point, he’d been homeless for 2 years. We started to run into one another more often and his quickly became a face I looked forward to seeing around our office. Soon, another local org granted Vinny housing where he lived for the next 2 years. On December 6th, 2024, Vinny lost his apartment after a devastating fire.

Last year, Vinny saved up some money to purchase an e-bike at a pawn shop. He’d secured stable transportation, and he hoped to find work downtown. In the middle of the night on 12/6, the motor on Vinny’s e-bike spontaneously exploded. He woke to find a fire consuming majority of his apartment. He suffered burns to his head, neck, chest, shoulders and hands. Vinny spent 27 days in the hospital before being unexpectedly discharged, without a treatment plan, in the dark, the night of January 2nd-the same night of a winter storm in Tulsa. For days, a few friends and myself drove throughout Tulsa looking for Vinny. When we finally found him, he’d been sleeping outside for two weeks. His already significant wounds were left untreated, uncovered, and exposed to extreme elements for days. The exacerbated harm left Vinny with no choice but to have his index finger and thumb on his dominant hand amputated.

Due to the upheaval of federal funding, Vinny once again faces threat of homelessness. He’s awaiting a permanent housing placement, but in a matter of days, the funds covering his temporary placement (at an extended-stay hotel) will cease to exist. With Vinny’s consent, I’m seeking donations to help cover another month in the hotel where he’s currently staying. I am hopeful that within this month, resources will be allocated to provide Vinny with permanent housing support. In the meantime, he needs time to continue to heal indoors.

If you’ve read this far, thank you!

Vinny has quickly become a genuine friend to me. We’ve spent a lot of time together these past few months, going to doctors visits, maintaining wound care, and attending PT appointments. He is one of the most intelligent people I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. He studied music and he can tell you everything about any instrument. After school, he served as a firefighter and a trainer in the Army. Despite the trauma he’s experienced, he’s maintained his spunky attitude. I learn new, mindblowing things about and from him every time we’re together, and I truly look forward to our conversations. Vinny is a really cool guy, I am lucky to know him, and I would love to help keep a roof over his head a little longer.