INDIANAPOLIS -- An Indiana veteran will be spending Christmas in his own home after spending years on the streets.
Lewis Morris was found sleeping on a mattress, wrapped in plastic in the back yard of his late mother’s abandoned and boarded up home. A city worker found him back there and decided to help.
Tony Roberts and his co-worker were only at the old overgrown home on Arsenal Avenue because they were contracted by the city to cut the grass and remove the debris. But when he walked into the back yard Roberts said he found Lewis.
Lewis told the contractors he was sleeping in the back yard because he wanted to be where he felt close to his mother, who had died more than 10 years earlier.
Roberts and his co-worker found Lewis a case worker and along with the city and some generous donations from the community, they were able to fix up his mother’s old home.
“It is my problem. I’m a human and no Marine should live in the backyard. I don’t care circumstance or anything else,” said Roberts.
Dozens of volunteers turned their sweat into equity to salute Lewis – who is a veteran of the Vietnam war.
“I’ve been dreaming, I think I’m still dreaming, but a dream come true,” said Lewis. “A God send, there are good people in this world and this is one of them.”
On Tuesday all of that work came together as Lewis was presented with his newly restored home.
He’ll live there with his daughter and grandchildren.
“I’m still dreaming, don’t wake me until dream is through,” said Lewis.
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