Growing older can be a daunting process. There are so many unknowns, from how will your health be, to will you have enough money to retire on. 

Most of us hope we can get through it though, with the help of family and friends.

For some, though, life throws a wrench in those hopes. And it can take the kindness of strangers to get you back on your feet.

When Lynn Schutzman’s husband died suddenly, the 70-year-old found herself with a huge amount of medical bills, as well as her own health issues. The bills, she said, left her unable to afford her home. 

Melissa Akacha, left, and Jennifer Husband-Elsier made it their mission to help a homeless woman that lived in her SUV. Photo from YouTube

With no other choice, Schutzman moved her two dogs, as well as what personal items she could fit into her SUV. The former pharmacist found herself alone with no permanent place to call home.

But one day, a woman noticed Schutzman’s SUV in a Target parking lot in Philadelphia.

“Does anyone know anything about the elderly woman with 2 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 neighborhood app. “I spoke to the police and they said she’s been living like this for over 2 years in different areas of [King of Prussia].”

It’s an awful scenario. Really, really upsetting.”

Wanting to help, Husband-Elsier, along with her best friend, Melissa Akacha, decided to pay Schutzman a visit.

The first thing the two women asked her was, “‘Are you OK?’”, they said.

Schutzman told them how she had ended up living in her car. She said that there wasn’t a homeless shelter that would let her bring her dogs in, and she didn’t qualify for affordable housing.

Akacha, who is also a pharmacist like Schutzman, asked around to see if anyone knew of Lynn. What Akacha soon found out was that Lynn was well-liked and respected.

Schutzman, seated, smiles with Akacha, left, and Husband-Elsier, center, while her SUV is cleaned out.

“Everybody knew that Lynn was a really wonderful, sweet, loving, giving person who really fell on hard times,” Husband-Elsier told ABC News.

Their post on NextDoor led to local residents tracking Schutzman down, bringing her meals and blankets, as well as food for her pets. Husband-Elsier and Akacha also created a GoFundMe to help Schutzman.

“This woman has gone completely unnoticed…by absolutely everyone in our town for over two years! Up until today, she never wanted to admit to anyone, including her physicians, that she is homeless. She puts on a front to most people who know her because she is embarrassed [as you can imagine] of what has happened to her. … She is one of ‘King of Prussia’s homeless,'” Husband-Elsier and Akacha wrote in their posts.

We need to help this woman. NO ONE should ever have to live the way she is living.”

Within 10 days, the pair had raised enough money to pay for a studio apartment for Schutzman for two years. With the help of neighbors, they were able to paint, as well as fill the home with donated items. 

“I know that Lynn needed us. She needed friendship and love and people who care. … We learned that we needed Lynn, too. This opportunity has also given us love and friendship and restored our faith in humanity,” Husband-Elsier wrote in a post on NextDoor.

Schutzman was emotional when she entered her new home for the first time.

For Schutzman, she had nothing but gratitude for the people that had helped her find a new home.

“It wouldn’t have happened without these angels,” Schutzman told ABC News. “I just want people to realize that this can happen to anybody. … I had a good job. I had good retirement but I got sick and health insurance only covers so much. … I have no children. I have no family. .. I had nowhere to turn. Sometimes, you know, just the kindness of strangers just makes all the difference in someone’s life.”

Watch the heartwarming story below.

Source: ABC News