The extraordinary courage of a homeless rape victim led to the conviction of her assailant. Now, her story has inspired the community, led by their local pastor to start a GoFundMe drive to help her find a permanent home.
According to Dispatch.com, the 47-year-old woman, who refused to be named, was sleeping under the East Side Bridge one afternoon when the attacker, identified as Paul E. Hubert, struck her on the head and raped her.
Hubert pled guilty to the crime after an investigation found inconsistencies in his statements to the police. The woman testified and attended every court date to see justice served, on occasion walking eight miles to the courthouse.
Officer James Asenhurst, the police detective in charge of the case, sent out an email to about the GoFundMe drive established under the name "Broad Street Survivor".
The page is being handled by Rev. Eric Moehring. In his message to prospective donors, he said the account was set up to "help collect donations toward getting her permanent housing, among other things. I'm glad you were all touched by her story."
According to Moehring, he was tasked with the responsibility of handling the fund because the Franklin County Prosecutor's Office weren't comfortable with the duty.
"It seemed natural for me to be the coordinator of it. Still, I don't have the skills and resources necessary to get her a new life. It's going to take a lot of people, a team," he said.
Moehring's church provides Walmart gift cards and bus passes to the woman and other homeless people in the Whitehall area as part of their outreach.
The pastor said that at present, he is working with personnel from the YWCA to assess the woman's need for counselling and treatment to overcome her traumatic experience and alcoholism.
The woman said in an interview with The Dispatch that her alcoholism led to her homelessness.
Despite her earlier resistance to being sheltered and receiving treatment, she subsequently vowed to try and get sober as she tries to find permanent housing.
The fund, which can be accessed through http://www.gofundme.com/nbsyws, has already gathered over $1,500 in donations.
