A homeless woman who was living out of her vehicle with her two dogs has finally found a home thanks to two strangers who posted on a local social media site to find out more about her.
Lynn Schutzman, 70, a former pharmacist, had been living out of her SUV until two women noticed her plight and posted on the Nextdoor app in a plea for help, ABC News reported.
“Does anyone know anything about the elderly woman with two dogs that has recently been living in her car under the covered part of the Target parking lot?” Jennifer Husband-Elsier asked on the Nextdoor app in April. “I spoke to the police and they said she’s been living like this for over two years in different areas of [King of Prussia]. … It’s an awful scenario. Really, really upsetting.”
Schutzman faced several challenges leading to her homelessness. WBUR reported that she suffered from many illnesses after her husband died, and she has struggled to pay off her medical bills.
She soon found herself unable to pay for her living expenses, forcing her to move into her SUV. Schutzman said she could not qualify for affordable housing, and homeless shelters would refuse to accept her dogs.
Husband-Eisler said she, along with her friend Melissa Akacha, later approached Schutzman’s SUV and asked if she was okay.
When they learned about her story, Husband-Eisler and Akacha posted on the app to make the community aware of Schutzman’s situation. The community brought meals, blankets, and even pet food for her SUV parked in the Target parking lot.
Now, Schutzman has a place to call her own in an apartment where she is able to receive food deliveries, and neighbors walk her two dogs. When she was presented the apartment, she broke down into tears, according to a video capturing the heartwarming incident.
It’s incredible,” Schutzman told ABC News on Wednesday. “[The community] did a beautiful job. I mean, the apartment is just beautiful with personal touches. … I couldn’t believe it.”
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