A homeless man living under a bridge on the city’s northwest side is about to see his family for the first time in more than 30 years.
“I’ve been homeless ever since my grandfather died in (19)75,” Wiley James Wright Jr. said.
Wright has gone without talking to his family for nearly half his life. Thanks to a good Samaritan who only wants to be known as Amanda, that’s about to change.
“We’re our brother’s keeper. Like, this is what we’re supposed to do,” Amanda said. “I just thought if he would let me help him, I should try.”
Amanda gave Wiley money the first time she noticed him panhandling at a gas station off Culebra Road and Westwood Loop but she couldn’t get him off her mind.
When she returned to meet him, she learned he was living under a bridge at a nearby park. After learning the 61-year-old Army veteran’s story, she decided to help him reconnect with loved ones.
Wright’s now waiting for his younger sister to pick him up. She’s driving to San Antonio from Moultrie, Georgia.
“I’m just going to hug her,” Wright said. “My little sister Paula is four years younger than me. She’s my baby girl.”
Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit, 11093 Bandera Road, has a Wiley James fund set up. Money raised will help the family with trip expenses and help them get back on their feet.
The reunion is a holiday gift Wright said he couldn’t be more grateful for.
UPDATE: Wright was reunited with her sister, Paula, on Tuesday. They will be headed back home to Moultrie, Georgia.