Homeless man receives $17K from strangers because of viral Tiktok video

• Philip Vu, 24-year-old who quit his job to live out his car and travel, met a homeless man.
• The two shared their life stories, which Philip took videos of and posted on his social media accounts.
• The videos went viral and people were inspired to help Mike out, leading to a total of $17,000 donations for Mike!

“We can fix homelessness in the US because a life was changed with just $17,000,” 24-year-old Philip Vu said, after his Tiktok video with a homeless man, went viral and led people to offer donations for him.

It was earlier this year when Philip and a 46-year-old homeless man named Mike crossed paths in New Haven, Connecticut.

Philip — who resigned as a bank analyst to live out of his car and travel — stumbled upon Mike who offered to clean Philip’s car windows. Philip soon asked Mike if he’d like to grab a sandwich, to which Mike agreed.

Instantly, the two hit it off, shared their life stories, and found out that they have so much similarities — such as their backgrounds, their dreams, and even their losses. Both have lost one of their parents. Philip’s dad passed away when he was young, and Mike lost his mother last year, which pushed him to “make money honestly” by cleaning windows and pumping gas.

Despite the commonalities, their current situations are far different.

“I was like living my dreams, and he told me his dream was to go traveling one day. He’s been fending for his life and trying to support his girlfriend and I’m living out my car for leisure,” Phillip explained.

Philip then shared their meaningful chats on his Tiktok and YouTube accounts. Soon enough, the videos went viral, gaining over 13 million views for a single video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjwZvuFyT_c&t=10s

“I never thought any of these videos would get that much traction,” Phillip said. “I didn’t think it would be more than me helping him out, having a conversation, getting to know him. I just wanted to document a video of me and Mike hanging out and sharing an experience.”

All of a sudden, people from around the globe were asking Philip how they could support Mike so he could get back on his feet. Donations started rolling in, eventually totaling to $17,000!

On February 12, Philip handed a bright red envelope with $1,000 cash to Mike, which shocked him and made him very emotional. Later on, Philip gathered the rest of the donations, making Mike even more overwhelmed.

“This is a very good start for me ’cause I can get me some food, my ID, I can go buy me my boots, and it can give me some cosmetics, hygiene, proper stuff,” Mike said.

Then he added, “And maybe, maybe, no, I ain’t gonna say ‘maybe,’ I’m gonna say I am … I’m going to give somebody else something because y’all gave this to me.”

That’s awesome, Mike. Please pay it forward and God bless you more!

Source: Inspire More