“It makes me feel good, but it’s not about me. It’s about providing an opportunity for James,” Chris Crever told KOIN 6 after making headlines for an encounter he had with a homeless man. The Portland, Oregon, property owner stumbled across the 28-year-old homeless man, James Eppler, when he went to clean up and clear out the property and found sleeping bags and blankets at the back of the house.

“It makes me feel good, but it’s not about me. It’s about providing an opportunity for James,” Chris Crever told KOIN 6 after making headlines for an encounter he had with a homeless man. The Portland, Oregon, property owner stumbled across the 28-year-old homeless man, James Eppler, when he went to clean up and clear out the property and found sleeping bags and blankets at the back of the house.

Eppler told KOIN 6 that he was sitting on the front porch with a friend when Crever showed up, and that Crever very politely asked the two of them to leave. Eppler, though a bit upset, said a sincere “Thank you” to Crever before leaving the property, which shook Crever up a bit. He told KOIN 6, “Before I got in my car, I’m thinking, ‘What did he thank me for? I just asked him to leave what he would consider his home.'” Crever felt like Eppler was someone who genuinely wanted help, so he went back and told Eppler to show up the following Monday morning at 8:30 a.m. Eppler showed up at 7:45 a.m., still wet from sleeping in the rain the night before, but ready to help.

Crever enlisted Eppler’s help in the process of cleaning up the property but soon realized Eppler would need a bit more to really get back on his feet. Crever then offered to let Eppler stay in one of the rooms on the property temporarily. He also gave Eppler access to a place to shower and clean up nearby while Eppler looked for a full-time job, something he tells KOIN 6 that he desperately wants.

In speaking with KOIN 6, Crever expressed that he hopes others will help in the search for a job as well as affordable housing for Eppler, who couldn’t be more grateful. In his interview with KOIN 6, he concluded, “To have this around Christmas time … I was raised with Christmas every year, it was a huge thing. It’s almost like God smiling down.”

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