His name is Rafael Nunes, but the Internet knows him as the
“Ridiculously Photogenic Homeless Guy”
An image of the blue-eyed 30 year old was taken by a tourist in
front of a church in the Brazilian town, Curitiba. It has been
circulating online over the past week, with more than 40,000 shares
on Facebook, thousands of points on Reddit and finally -- the help
he needed to get off the streets.
Nunes, is a former model. He became homeless a year ago,
presumably due to a drug habit, his mother told the news
outlet.
After he achieved local fame, Nunes was interviewed by local TV
station, Balanco Geral where he spoke in outbursts but
aware of his situation and its effect on his family.
“Selling it, disgraced, laundering the money, disgraced,” Nunes
said, possibly referring to his drug issues. “It’s killing my dad.
It’s killing my mother, killing my brother.” On camera, Nunes had a
beer in hand and was rambling incoherently.
Nunes has tried rehab before, but the longest he's stayed was 10
days, his mother told Folha de Sao Paolo. His family contacted a
Sao Paulo clinic where he was admitted on October 20, according to
Globo .com
In his TV interview, Nunes offered an insightful thought that
sheds light on the broader issue of homelessness: "And the society
looks down on my situation. I’ve encountered people where, the
worse your situation, the more they don’t even see that you’re
human."
