70-Year-Old Lives In SUV With Dogs Until Neighbors Band Together To Get Her An Apartment

In 2019, two closest friends observed an older woman who appeared to be living in her car with her two dogs in a supermarket parking lot. In April of that year, Jennifer Husband-Elsier and Melissa Akacha posted on the Nextdoor app about the other woman, asking if anyone in their neighborhood knew who she was and what her current status was like.

Lynn Schutzman, a former pharmacist who was suffering many health concerns and lived in her small SUV in various parking lots across the suburban area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, notably near King of Prussia, was identified as the elderly woman.

The two friends also met with the old woman to learn more about her story, and discovered that she had been suffering from a variety of ailments since her husband’s death. Schutzman was unable to pay her mortgage because she was unable to keep up with her medical expenditures. She had nowhere else to go and couldn’t seem to obtain the treatment she needed, so she and her two dogs were forced to live in her tight van for the rest of their lives.

After learning more about Schutzman, Husband-Elsier and Akacha felt compelled to do something to assist her and improve her living situation. Some neighbors started dropping off food and supplies in Schutzman’s car, but the best friends wanted to do more. They earned enough money to pay for the woman to relocate into a studio apartment after initiating a GoFundMe campaign, completely transforming her life.

Husband-Elsier and Akacha established a GoFundMe campaign in April 2019 to help Schutzman pay for an apartment.

According to ABC News, the 70-year-old woman had been struggling with her health and finances and was living in her car in a Target parking lot.

Schutzman had nowhere to turn because she didn’t qualify for affordable housing, homeless shelters wouldn’t accept her dogs, and she had no family. “Everyone knew Lynn was a truly great, sweet, kind, generous girl who had hit a rough patch,” Husband-Elsier said. In May 2019, she and Akacha earned enough money to get the elderly woman a studio apartment, with numerous neighbors helping to paint and decorate the space.

Schutzman now has a permanent address and lives with her dogs in a studio apartment where she receives food delivery.

According to ABC News, her neighbors continue to assist her and even stop by to walk her dogs for her.

WBUR filmed the touching moment Schutzman went inside her new home on camera, capturing her gratitude and passion. Schutzman made plans to spend Thanksgiving with Husband-family Elsier’s in 2019, after forging meaningful friendships with the people who helped her get back on her feet.

The rent for the flat was paid off for the next two years, according to ABC News, with the crowdfunding website garnering more than $30,000. “Without these angels, it wouldn’t have occurred,” Schutzman added. “…Sometimes, you know, strangers’ compassion can make all the difference in someone’s life.”