Chicago Police Lieutenant Lends Homeless Veteran A Helping Hand
CHICAGO (CBS) — A homeless veteran gets a helping hand, and a Chicago Police Lieutenant is leading the charge.
Air Force veteran Anthony Johnson has been using an old newsstand at Milwaukee and Farragut for seven years to sell newspapers.
About three weeks ago, Lieutenant John Garrido noticed how rundown it was, so he used Facebook to encourage the community to help give it a fresh look.
Local businesses donated the materials and manpower to renovate the space, and they held a ribbon-cutting to unveil the finished product.
"In three and a half weeks this went from a falling down newsstand to now a solid fixture in the community," said Lt. Garrido. "I'm really proud of the community that came together to get this to happen."
Artist Peter Bucks pitched in as well. He outfitted the newsstand with several original murals.
Lt. Garrido also setup a Facebook page to help Anthony with day-to-day living expenses.
"I learned that he would sleep in the newsstand until he would save enough money to go stay in a hotel on Clark Street for $100 a week; basically a 5 foot by 8 foot room," said Garrido.
The goal is to raise enough money to set up living arrangements for Anthony for at least 1 year.
You can help the cause by donating here: https://www.gofundme.com/stepupforanthony.