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'Hood Santa' helps family with housing
A Long Beach family got a miracle just in time for Christmas.
LOS ANGELES - A Long Beach woman and her six children, living out of their car, have been granted a Christmas miracle by Tito Rodriguez, better known as "Hood Santa."
For more than a decade, Rodriguez has given back to under-served communities in the Los Angeles area.
He recently received a message from Sabrina Martinez with a humble request.
What they're saying:
"I read the message, it tugged at my heart. She said, 'Hey, I have six children. I'm living in the park. I'm homeless.' So they asked for water and peanut butter crackers. That's what reeled me in," said Rodriguez.
He brought them food and shared their story on social media.
"One day our landlord sold the property and we became homeless," said Martinez.
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She told FOX11 she has been unable to secure housing.
"We've been trying and trying and trying, no luck. No luck," said Martinez.
The family has been in and out of hotels. When they can't scrape together enough money for one, they sleep in their SUV.
Help has poured in through the 'Hood Santa' Instagram page, including a two-night stay in an AirBNB.
Another donor is giving the family a two-week stay in a hotel once they leave the AirBNB, which means the family will have a roof over their heads for Christmas as they search for permanent housing.
A GoFundMe has been created to help the family.
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The Source: Information for this story came from interviews with Tito Rodriguez and Sabrina Martinez.