CLEVELAND — Local homeless advocacy group Homeless Hookup runs off of donations from the people of Cleveland.
One local company, Optimum, gave the gift that will keep on giving.
With help from other local businesses, a swanky new Fourwinds Hurricane RV was donated to Homeless Hookup. Mighty Products will outfit it with tethered iPads on the outside, and the Lakewood Fire Department will install hardwood floors and barber chairs on the inside to make it a mobile hotel and grooming shop for the homeless.
It'll also have a shower, bathroom, lounge area, and eventually a barbershop and thrift store.
Homeless Hookup already has an RV in service, but it's a 1984 model with several repairs and over half a million miles on it, says Homeless Hookup founder Dean Roff.
"It had broke down on me before I'd gotten the brakes fixed on it twice it was just time to put it out to pasture. This RV is surreal actually. I pull up to it and I still can't believe it's mine because it's... I have a house on wheels and at one point I had no house. It's an incredible come-up that is a miracle," Roff says.
This goliath of a godsend holds 75 gallons of fuel and only gets 7-8 miles a gallon. It costs about $250 to fill the tank, so donations are much appreciated.
If you'd like to make a contribution to help Homeless Hookup keep the RV running, go to homelesshookupcle.com.
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Editor's Note: The below story aired on March 9, 2021