Helinski relocated to the U.S with hopes for a better future. However, the future had other plans for him. Having no friends, no family around the man soon got homeless. He began to live his days on the streets. He spent three years on streets spending for himself until a caseworker named Inman decided to help him. The caseworker and an officer had made it their mission to get the man identity and a better life. Luckily, they even succeed in doing so and think that their task is done when a surprising detail about the homeless man comes to their notice. Something that he had done years ago was going to change the caseworker’s perception about the man.
Helinski had his childhood spent in Poland. He decided to relocate to the States. He was very excited about moving to the States. However, little did he know his decision of moving would mark an unforgettable event in his life.
Things were not the way he had thought. The man received the most horrific welcome from the people of the country. He got his personal identification documents taken away from him. He had no home to live in.
The place he had relocated was Tampa. The city is famous for its white-sand beaches and good restaurants floating on the water. Helinski could not enjoy any of them as he was far away from all that struggling day to day for keeping his body and soul together.
The man did not have his ID with him. And without his ID, it was even more difficult for him to get a place to put up in a homeless shelter. The man had nowhere to go. In the absence of all the options, he had to make streets his shelter.
He told, “I just managed on my own… I remember having a cardboard box, and sleeping by the bus stop.” He went on, “I’d be underneath the benches there, and no one would see me.” Helinski had no existence for the people.
No matter how much he tried, he could not get his identity verified. The loopholes in the system proved to be a big hamper in the work. And unfortunately, it was just the beginning of his hardships.