Support grows for family living in box after 2-year-old son found wandering the streets at night

A 2-year-old boy was found wondering a park alone after he slipped away from his family's makeshift cardboard home.

Oct 19, 2015

A 2-year-old boy was found wondering a park alone after he slipped away from his family’s makeshift cardboard home.

Angelique Roland, 27, and Michael Jones, 24, had been sleeping behind cardboard boxes with their children in Fairmount Park Welcome Center in Love Park. They reported that their son was missing to the police as soon as they realized he was gone, but Jones said that the boy must have woken up when he heard the skateboarders and made his way out of the boxes.

The parents explained that they did not have enough money to pay rent but that they could not stay in a shelter because they were full, so they ended up having to sleep in the park.

“If I had somewhere to go, I would be there,” Roland told WPVI. “I am not out here on the streets with my kids on purpose.”

Since hearing about the family’s predicament, homeless advocacy group Chosen 300 Ministries has launched a campaign to raise money for the family, and Director Brian Jenkins said that the $12,000 goal would be used directly for rent and social services costs for the family “for at least a year.” Since their story broke, the family has also received several job offers.