A 27-year-old woman has recently captured the attention of TikTok, sharing the story of how she and her partner became homeless.
Known only as Courtney, the young woman who lives in New York, explained how disaster struck when she lost her job in the exact same week that her partner did too.
The couple initially moved in with Courtney's sister but unfortunately, the living situation didn’t work out.
At this point that the pair ended up living on the streets, sleeping in parks while completing the necessary intake process for shelter accommodation. After finally getting approved, the couple faced further challenges, with finding work that met the shelter’s requirements proving to be difficult.
Courtney has since amassed a following of almost 70,000 people on TikTok where she highlights the realities of being a homeless person - her videos were recently spotted by a kind-hearted woman who has given a lovely gift.
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Fellow New Yorker, Chelsey Brown, also known as the 'heirloom hunter' came across Courtney's videos and knew she wanted to help.
She decided to reach out to Courtney and gift her a laptop, as it would help with her job hunt.
But then the 28-year-old, who helps reunite people with long-lost family heirlooms, realised she could be of more assistance.
Now Chelsey has hired Courtney, as a freelancer to help her out with her heirloom project, paying her to write blog posts about her fascinating finds.
Chelsey said: “I started following her story and couldn’t help but feel compelled to help. I know people tend to send money or supplies, but I wanted to send her an opportunity versus something static. Cash is great, but I knew if I sent her a laptop, she could find virtual job opportunities while searching for a full-time gig".
Just a few weeks after sending Courtney a laptop, Chelsey realised she was in need of some assistance with her heirloom project, having been meaning to upload stories to her blog about the heirlooms she's managed to return.
Although Chelsey doesn't make any money from her heirloom project, she earns an income through her social media work, and so decided to pay Courtney to freelance for her using that money.
Chelsey continued: "She’s now helping me write blog posts about the stories behind the heirlooms I’ve returned. So far, she’s written four posts, and although there’s a learning curve to this work, she’s doing a great job and I’m excited to continue working together.
"We should be kind in an unkind world - and give people opportunities where needed/deserved. Just because you’re homeless/houseless, doesn’t mean you’re not human".
Courtney shared the happy news of her new job in a recent vid, in a post that racked up more than 2,700 likes and 21,000 views. In the clip, Courtney can be seen speaking positively about her freelance position, while showing off her new laptop.
One user wrote: “This is so cool!! We’re rooting for you and can’t wait to see your work when it’s ready!!”, while another commented: “Congratulations!! I think you’ll go places".
Remarking upon her stroke of good fortune, Courtney said: “Chelsey gifted me the laptop which opens so many new opportunities for me, and I couldn’t be happier for it".
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