Man was living on the streets after eviction — when a reporter learned of his identity, it changed everything

Everyone goes through tough times in life, but only a few find the strength to rise again, all thanks to their supportive friends and family. Sometimes, even when your close ones fail to support and uplift your spirits, a stranger steps in to change everything, and that's exactly how the universe works. This profound truth was highlighted when Titus, a then-69-year-old man, was thrown out of his rented apartment, and a reporter's kind gesture raised over $1K from his classmates, motivating him to start his life all over again.

Titus had been living in the same apartment for a decade, along with his 20 cats, before he was evicted by the landlord. As reported by Facts Verse, the man provided the cats with a safe environment because he believed it was his way to pay back society for being kind to him over the years. However, his landlord didn't approve of Titus rescuing cats and thus sent him an eviction notice. After evacuating the house, he reached out to the Memphis Animal Shelter, which was more than happy to foster the cats. 

Once his cats were relocated, Titus had to think about himself. Since he had no place to go, he decided to sell all his belongings and use that money to start over. With a heavy heart, the man put all his stuff in the yard, looking out for people wanting to buy it. During this time, Titus met a reporter from WREG Memphis who stopped by to see what he was selling. The duo began chatting, and Titus showed a few newspaper articles to the reporter. It was a story about a man who got evicted from his house, and then surprised a reporter when he revealed his true identity. It was Titus' story from when he was young. Back then, he was an extraordinary artist and was very much involved in volunteer work. Overwhelmed by his story, the reporter did a story on Titus that received an amazing response from the people. 

Many, especially those who knew the man personally, reached out to the outlet to help Titis. Interestingly, after the story went public, some of his classmates also reached out, wanting to help the homeless man. A month after the story was aired, the news outlet presented a check for $1,000 to Titus, who was staying with his sister at that time. Moreover, the report claimed that Titus wanted to open a cat shelter one day. He wanted to help stray cats by finding them their forever homes where they don't have to worry about eviction.

Meanwhile, reacting to the story, @rancidpitts8243 commented, "The first part of this story is a classic case of, 'No good deed goes unpunished.' I am pleased to hear that it turned out better than I expected." @satisfecho revealed, "I just saw this. Titus was a good friend when I was in high school in the 1970s. He was older, and I am now 70 myself, and it would be super cool to be able to catch up with him and make a visit. It is true that he is a super talented artist, a lot of surrealism works, and it is true that he did a lot of community service. In the 70s, his Siamese cat, Milky, acted like a dog by coming when called and sitting when prompted, and acted like a cat by safely jumping to the ground from the second-story apartment. Such a loving and fascinating man."

Similarly, @southernplayero112 commented, "Presented him with just $1,000? It's nice of him to care about cats, but he should leave that to someone else and begin saving money in order to get back on his feet. It would be better if he volunteered to get the word around about sterilizing cats and dogs, but only a few days a month". @debbieochoa8525 wrote, "I liked the story, but believe he should have received more money or a new home. God bless him!"