A heartwarming story of a homeless man who discovered a five-figure check on the street and chose to return it to its rightful owner is a powerful reminder of the goodness in people and can truly restore your faith in humanity.
Elmer Alvarez was homeless when he came across the large sum, but instead of keeping it for himself, he made the admirable choice to find and return it to its rightful owner.
Like many others in his situation, Elmer has battled drug addiction, mental illness, and has a criminal record.
But that’s not who he is anymore—Elmer decided to turn his life around just three years before discovering the lost check.
Reflecting on the day he found the check, Elmer shared that his first thought was, “I’ve got to look for this person,” and the idea of cashing it never even crossed his mind.
In an interview with CBS News, Elmer said, “It never crossed my mind because I made a decision to turn my life around. I’ve been clean for three years.”
He enlisted the help of a friend to call the phone number on the back of the check, which led him to the owner. Explaining to WTNH, Elmer said, “I was just thinking about how that person must be feeling after losing a check with such a large amount of money.”
“I’d be feeling kind of desperate.”
He eventually got in touch with the check’s owner, Roberta Hoskie, a real estate broker from New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
She recorded their meeting and later admitted that she had expected to find a man who was “nice, clean-shaven, and in a blue suit,” but meeting Elmer “shattered the stereotypes.”
Roberta immediately offered him a reward, which brought him to tears. But that wasn’t the only thing she did for the good Samaritan.
After their first meeting, she helped him find an apartment, covered his rent for seven months until he was able to manage on his own, and even enrolled him in real estate school.
The pair began collaborating on a real estate project that wouldn’t generate any profit but was seen as morally enriching.
They intended to create a transitional home for homeless teenagers and young adults, offering essential services that, according to Elmer, are critical.
“I know what it’s like to be homeless. No one deserves to live that way,” he emphasized, with Roberta nodding in agreement.
Now, she leads a multi-million dollar real estate company, along with a foundation, a real estate brokerage, and a real estate school. However, she shared that she came from a background similar to Elmer’s.
“Roberta explained that he didn’t know who was behind the check.”
“He didn’t know that I was a single mother who had once been on welfare and had even found myself homeless at one point.”
Elmer also admitted that returning the check and seeing Roberta’s happiness was more rewarding than keeping the cash, and he would gladly do it all over again.
Roberta added, “We need more people like Elmer Alvarez. He’s a person with a golden heart and a truly phenomenal guy.”
She appointed Alvarez as an advisor for the house and shared details about her relationship with him in her book, Poverty Curse Broken: The Roberta Hoskie Story, which was published in 2021.
