Houston Strong: Homeless man volunteers to help
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- When Harvey's rain began to lash our city and turn streets into rivers within a matter of minutes, the Houston police chief warned some residents fleeing the floodwaters to seek shelter on their roofs instead of in their attics.
However, for some Houstonians who call the street home, there was no attic nor roof. Their options: ride out the storm uncovered in area with high potential to flood or seek shelter. For 59-year-old Stanley Baizle, the choice was easy.
"I heard they were helping people downtown and so I came down here," said Baizle.
He took his belongings and made the 24-mile journey to the GRB. Some people in his situation might have just enjoyed the opportunity to sleep inside in a safe and warm place, but not Baizle.
"I wasn't raised that way," he said.
He said just because he was homeless didn't mean he couldn't help, and his assistance was definitely needed. Sasha Von Troetsch is the owner of Your Hipster Pet and her company went to the GRB to serve our furry evacuees. She initially planned to just get all the pets a bath.
"Someone who is an evacuee said, 'I know how to groom,' and so I gave him some clippers," said Von Troetsch.
That someone was Stanley Baizle. Before his life on the street, he was a pet groomer for 29 years. He used to work for a company cleaning animal cages and worked his way up to grooming pets.
Braizle has been homeless the past two years, but he has continued to groom pets. He said his neighbors around Cullen Park are familiar with his skills and occasionally he grooms their pets. However, he is looking for a full-time job.
"I am trying to find something," said Baizle.
Baizle is still on a journey to find what he is looking for, but on Thursday he did help dozens of pets and their owners find peace one clip at a time.
If you're interested in helping Baizle, send Von Troetsch a Facebook message.
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