FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - The Broward Sheriff’s Office has been gathering goods for a veteran who used to be homeless, and they are giving him a helping hand and new furniture as he gets back on his feet.
U.S. Navy veteran Eugene Ralph was homeless for the past year after spending nearly a decade traveling the world on a warship. He said he slept anywhere he could find a bench.
“The economy, the pandemic — I lost my place, and I couldn’t bounce back,” Ralph said. “Gas stations, bus stops, anywhere I could sleep.”
But, he was strong enough to ask for help, which he received.
“You know, with a kind word, ‘Yeah, I’m a veteran. I’ve been through a tough time,’ and people started to listen,” Ralph said.
With help from BSO and many others, they found Ralph a new place to call home in Fort Lauderdale.
“So often those who are experiencing homelessness, they feel helpless and hopeless,” BSO Deputy Michael Francis said. “I’m sure, at times, he felt those two things, but his will to survive, him being a military veteran, gave him that resolve and that resilience — I think it’s an appropriate word — to really foster on.”
Ralph has been living in his current apartment since July, and during that time, he has had no furniture inside. He had asked for a recliner for the apartment, which turned into furniture donations for his entire apartment.
It would take two box trucks to deliver all of the furniture to his apartment. They included everything Ralph could possibly need, and it was unloaded and moved into his apartment.
“Unbelievable, this is priceless, priceless,” Ralph said. “If you can fathom priceless, that’s what it feels like.”
Ralph said he has a passion for music.
“One Frank Sinatra song that I think goes accordingly is ‘All the Way,'” Ralph said. “All the way. All the way.”
Copyright 2025 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.