Jason Thorwegen was homeless for most of his life, since he was eight years old. “Having been homeless for so long,” he said in an interview with ABC News, “I know what people need, and I know how to provide that. It’s simple, you put a roof over a man’s head.”
His story isn’t one of classically inspiring success. He lives in a van himself in Bakersfield, California, and thinks his savings account once got as high as $8,000, but he put that the same place he puts all of his energy – into building vans into living spaces for homeless veterans and the disabled homeless.
Over the past three years, since before he was secure in somewhere to live, he has converted three vans with beds and storage so that people can have comfortable, safe places to live, where they can feel free and secure. Thorwegen heard a news story about a veteran who had his van stolen while his wife was in hospital, along with his dog and everything the couple owned. He contacted the news studio, and donated the van he himself was living in at the time. When the stolen van (and the dog!) was recovered, Thorwegen got his own back, but he realized he had something he could give his fellow man after all.
“One person can take care of every single need that one other individual has,” he said. “They just have to put in the time, and allow that person to grow.”
Some few people have donated to help Thorwegen in his cause, but only to the tune of about $400. If you wish to donate, a page has been set up for him on GoFundMe. More importantly, please vote against measures to criminalize homelessness, such as the 2019 law which passed in San Diego and made it illegal for people like Mister Thorwegen to live in their vans inside the city.
Source: ABC 23 Bakersfield