Facebook page helps homeless man get a new start at life


For three years, Victor Hubbard waited on a corner in Clear Lake, Texas, rain or shine, hoping that his mother would pick him up.
He didn't know that Ginger Sprouse noticed him, and always wondered why he was standing there. She finally stopped to talk to him, and he opened up to her, letting her know that he has a mental illness and all he wanted to do was connect with his mother again. Sprouse, a chef and restaurateur, knew other people in the community were curious about Hubbard's story, so she started a Facebook page called "This Is Victor." She shared information on Hubbard and his life, and soon, donations began to roll in. Hubbard was given a free eye exam, food, and clothes, and hundreds gathered at a block party fundraiser in his honor.
Sprouse was able to get Hubbard, 32, access to mental health help and prescriptions, and she hired him at her restaurant. Hubbard's uncle found him through the Facebook page and drove to visit him, and days later, he finally reunited with his mother. "I got to talk to her and I really feel like I accomplished something," he told KHOU. Now, he's living with Sprouse and her family. "She came around and she kind of saved me," he said. "She helped me. It's like grace." Catherine Garcia
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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