Help Robbie, Preston’s Homeless Hero

Tom Powell epitomises everything I despise. He,and others like him, are the reason this country has the homeless problem it does. I really hope someone wishes dear old cynical Tom a Happy Christmas, because I won't be ;-) I think this is a fantastic cause and, if more folks were as decent as the homeless Robbie and Ms Dominiqueh, we could eradicate the homeless situation in a very short time. Well done to both the individuals involved here and have a very Happy Christmas and fruitful 2015.

Just as well the world's not completely full of cynics like tompowell. Give the girl a break Tom. There are good people out there you know.

Hii ! My name is Maria Julia, I'm 12 and I'm from Brazil . I was on Facebook when I saw an article about you and this collection , I can not give you money, but drawing him luck , and I hope to help this man . You have a good heart to do this and adimiro you for this gesture . Congratulations !!! You can complete this "mission" . God be with you , dear, good luck !! :D

I'd hate tompowell's comment to be the last one anyone sees on here, as I'd hate anyone to think that this is just a scam, so I thought I'd post a response. I'd like to start with tom's comment "how far is this imaginary 3 going to get her in a taxi" and point out that he (I'm assuming you are a 'he', tom) is entirely missing the point. The gesture wasn't a case of her needing %a3%a33 for the taxi to get home and Robbie offering it, it was a case of her needing money for the taxi to get home and being unable to get it from the cashpoint because she'd lost her bank card, and him offering her all the loose change that he had (which just happened to come to 3) to try to help her to get home safely. As to why he would do it in the first place, I could also ask why a homeless man came up to my daughter to give her back the %a3%a310 note that she'd dropped in the street when he appeared to have far less than that himself, but it doesn't change the fact that he did. It turns out that some people are actually just nice - regardless of their circumstances. And as for the chat she had with him, where she found out about his story, if anyone had seen her interview on her local tv station, they would know that she went back with her mother to try to find him after the event, so that she could thank him personally for his offer (even though she didn't actually take the money from him in the end), so she didn't stay for a chat that night at all. Tom's next comment is that "This guy apparently works according to various news articles and can't afford the fare to get to his job". The reason the girl in question started this fundraiser is because she found out that not only was he homeless but that he was also unable to apply for jobs because he didn't have an address (yes, this is a real problem for the homeless), so I don't know where these news articles (which I am only taking tom's word exist, as I haven't seen them myself) have got their information from. As far as the guy getting 30,000 is concerned, that was not the plan. Her original plan was to raise a few hundred pounds to help him get set up in some accommodation, so that he would have an address and could then apply for work, to give him a helping hand so that he could then be self supporting. I know that she has taken a lot of stick for the fact that, as so much more money has been donated than was originally hoped for, a lot will now also go towards helping other people in Robbie's situation, through donations to organisations recommended by him that have helped him while he's been homeless, and won't all be earmarked just for him. If that upsets anyone who felt that they wanted their donation to go to help Robbie himself (yes, she's taken some stick for that too) then please be comforted by the knowledge that that is actually his wish and not just her decision. The girl organising this has also taken a lot of stick for supposed "self-promotion", but she doesn't appear to have put her own name on this site, and she's been just as surprised at how this story has spread as anyone. The story seems to have taken on a life of its own which, given how many depressing stories there are in the news at the moment, isn't really surprising. A lot of the articles online are just reposts in various languages of the original article in her local newspaper (the Lancashire Evening Post) promoting the fundraiser, or variations of that article by people who haven't actually talked to her, with pictures found of her online on sites such as Facebook. It just goes to show how quickly news can travel in the age of online social networking (plus a lesson to us all that whatever we put online may end up being seen by people we weren't expecting to do so!). The cynics may say that my post is just another part of the "massive scam", as tompowell put it. To that I would say that tom is right to be cautious as there are, unfortunately, a lot of scams around. Everyone should be careful not to believe everything that they see online, but to research things properly (using multiple sources) and then make an informed judgement. I would also say that although this fundraiser is for a worthy cause, there are a lot of Robbies around the world who all deserve a chance, so people should also look closer to home for causes to donate to, where they can see for themselves how their money is spent, and perhaps also volunteer their time and skills to help, as well as just their cash. For my part, I am confident that this is not a scam, but then I have the benefit of inside information from my daughter, who told me a very heartwarming story a couple of weeks ago. It was about a friend of hers, who had been out in town one night and then discovered at the end of night that she not only didn't have enough cash to get a taxi home but that she had also lost her bank card, so couldn't get any out of the cashpoint, and about how a homeless man had offered her all of his change (which was about %a3%a33) to help her get a taxi home, and about how her friend was so touched by his offer (even though she didn't take his money) that she'd decided that she wanted to help him get back on his feet somehow ...

Does nobody see how this is obviously a massive scam!! I mean, this girl who studying fashion AND PROMOTION(!!!) is on her own after a night out and a homeless guy approaches her. Apart from the fact she stayed for a chat which is highly unlikely (how many of you would not just do one), but lets say she did, he offers her 3 for a taxi How far is this taxi supposed to take her? And why would he? This guy apparently works according to various news articles and can't afford the fare to get to his job so a) why offer this girl his last %a3%a33 when he can't afford to get to work to earn 50 and b) how far is this imaginary %a3%a33 going to get her in a taxi? Why could she say he offered her his last 5.....why couldn't she say he offered her %a3%a33 for the bus......?? Oh, she just learnt that his name is Robbie....that wouldn't be Robbie the Reindeer would it? Rudolphs best mate? (She hears seigh-bells, but thinks its an ambulance) So this guy is getting 30,000 then? And the girl? Getting lots of good promotion for her exams in her Masters Degree in fashion AND PROMOTION!! She might even sell a few hundred scarves or something. And get a 1st class. Perfect timing for everyone. Happy Christmas.

Thank you so much to both of you, for making the world a better place.

Amazing thing to do, both of you!

Greetings from California. What a wonderful and inspiring story. Blessings to You and all you have helped. R & R

This story remind me, my own experience with a homeless person. I got laid off and was out of job over 6months and very broke at the time. I came out from a job interview a man asked me for , I didn't have any chance I gave him %a3%a310 that I had in fact which was alot when u r jobless. He didnt wanted take it after he found out i was jobless, I said its OK who knows 1 day i need help too ? I certainly wish kind ppl will help me! Then he thanked me sincerely and i remember we both had teary eyes and understand that we are ON BENEFIT & UNEMPLOYED!!!! Sometimes in life shit happens who wants to be homeless? sometimes is not a choice? It could be myself but i was lucky i got a temping job offered after for few weeks and allow me to pull through Xmas. So be kind to others and do not judge!That one chance you offer others it could be a life time changing experience :)