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A woman found a teenager sleeping in her yard, and her response has since gone viral on social media.
In a series of TikTok videos, user Elly Pimentel shared how she helped an unhoused teenage boy who kept sleeping in her yard. Athough she initially hesitated before sharing anything about the teen online, Pimentel posted bits of their exchange on TikTok in the hopes that her community might offer some guidance.
The clips, which were posted in September, have since sparked an outpouring of advice, support, and shared experiences from viewers everywhere.
“A teenager has been living in my yard. He can’t stay, but I don’t really want to evict him either,” she wrote over a TikTok video, which has been viewed more than 869k times. In the video, Pimentel explained that she had been noticing an unhoused 16-year-old boy curled up on a patch of cinder blocks near her house multiple times, but she “didn’t ask him to leave.”
“My Ring doorbell has alerted me to his presence in the past, and he is always respectful,” Pimentel wrote. “He genuinely looks like he’s just gotten out of class at the nearby high school.”
The TikToker said she was going to gather an extra sleeping bag, a pillow, and a waterproof backpack packed with cans of soup, spoons, napkins, and other essentials to give to the boy. She also slipped in a small handwritten note – which was written in both English and Spanish – and sealed it in a plastic tote, so that her quiet gesture of care was ready whenever the teen might need it.
Along with the food essentials, she included some toothpaste, shampoo, and a towel into the plastic bin “in case he wants to clean up using the hose.”
Pimentel then shared footage of the boy’s sleeping spot, which she said was located “less than 20 feet from my front door,” and the stoop located directly outside her bathroom window.
In the comments section, many people applauded Pimentel for the kind gesture and opened up about their own experiences with homelessness.
“You’ve handled this with such respect, compassion, and grace,” one user wrote. “It’s honestly so refreshing to know [people] like you exist.”
“I’m blown away by your genuine caring and concern, for a stranger, your empathy, and actually doing so much to help,” another person added. “You truly are an angel.”
Speaking to People, Pimentel explained that the boy’s experience struck a familiar chord with her. She had spent her early years in foster care, until finding her forever family just before second grade. The TikToker said she was moved to see how many strangers felt safe enough to share their own experiences.
“A lot of people have said that I’ve done a good thing or have complimented me as a person when I’ve literally done the bare minimum,” she told the outlet.
“I was trying to walk a fine line between making this available to him without any strings attached,” Pimentel said. “I’m doing it because I see you, and if this benefits you, great. If you want to continue sleeping on the stoop, that’s fine too. But if you’d like to improve your situation, here are these things, with no pressure either way.”
A few days later, she had found a message from the boy, which was taped on her door and written on a paper receipt. As it turned out, he’d even rung her doorbell once, hoping to speak with her. For weeks, they continued exchanging notes until October, when they finally met face-to-face.
“When we eventually chatted in person, he shared a bit of his story with me,” Pimentel told People. “I did my best to keep that information confidential. He has been very vulnerable and shared sensitive details.”
“That led to a 90-minute conversation where he laid out what was going on,” she added. “I made him aware that we would need to take next steps. I started calling resources and gathering information for that next step.”
