“Let’s get him housed:” GoFundMe supports local homeless man who saved young boy’s life

SALISBURY, Md.- “I love it. I like the fact that I did something good for a change,” Johns said.

September 13th. It’s a day Alfred Lamont Johns said he’ll never forget. That afternoon, he’d meet 7-year-old Alijah Doss, saving him from drowning along the Wicomico River. “I looked up, and he had fallen into the water. I hurried to jump up, threw my phone down, and came over. He was going up and down in the water, and I just pulled him up,” Johns said.

Johns called it a case of being in the right place at the right time. He was in the area because he’s actually homeless, now for the second time. “Bad times happen to everybody. I’m really out here struggling but trying to get back on my feet,” he said.

On a quest to turn things around, local nonprofit Beyond Your Walls is behind him every step of the way. They started a GoFundMe, benefiting Johns for his heroic deed. “When they asked me, I was like this is the perfect opportunity for all of us in the community to go beyond our walls and help get Mr. Johns housed together,” McGinnity said.

The goal is to secure housing for Johns for up to a year. “Let’s get him housed, get furniture in there, get plates in his cupboard, and let’s get food in his refrigerator to give him a real reset,” Mcginnity said.

The unlikely pair have known each other for more than seven years. In time, Founder Leslie McGinnity said they’d become family. “If I’m downcast, he’s always the one to bring me up or those around him up to remind them that things could be worse,” she said.

Johns told 47ABC his motivation to keep going even when things get tough is his beloved family. “I got my stepson, Jamir. They push me through every day. They make sure I have what I need, and if they don’t have it, I do. We’re just here for each other. They push me every day,” he said.

He added that not only is he walking away with the support of the community, but he’s now found new family in the life he saved. “Every time he sees me, he just runs up to me and says ‘thank you’,” Johns said.

Johns also told us he also has dreams of getting his CDL license and supporting his family.

We did reach out to Alijah’s family who told us they’re truly grateful for Mr. Johns bravery.

Beyond Your Walls also provides services to anyone locally who’s currently experiencing or at risk of homelessness. They nonprofit offers a mobile shower service, and people can grab a free lunch. Their shower service is available Tuesdays in Ocean City at the First Presbyterian Church parking lot (9:30 a.m.-11:30) and in Salisbury at the Community of Joy Church parking lot (1:00 p.m.-4:00)

You can reach out to them on their Facebook page.