Florida

Homeless Man Reunites With Family After Six Years

There was an overdue reunion for a man who spent half a decade on the streets. He has been homeless and separated from his family for six years.

On Monday, he and his loved ones reconnected and NBC 6 South Florida was there for the special moment.

"He was just always happy, go lucky, dancing," said Gabby Cordell with the Choose Love Foundation.

But a lot has changed since Cordell met Roberto Ulloa six years ago on the streets of Downtown Miami. Ulloa has lived a hard life that would transform that dancing to an assisted, wobbly shuffle.

"He had a stroke, then another and then another. He's had three. One right after another," Cordell explained.

There were more changes ahead for Ulloa as Cordell plucked him from the streets. Loaded in her car was Ulloa's world: a radio, CD player and a couple coolers.

"A folding chair, a walker, a five-gallon bucket," Cordell said.

She began trying to reunite Ulloa with his family using the organization, Miracle Messages, along with a YouTube video.

After emails and phone calls, Cordell located Ulloa's family in New Brunswick, New Jersey. They made the trip to see the man they haven't heard from in six years. A hug for Ulloa from his uncle's wife; an introduction to a second cousin, who didn't exist when he took off.

"I'm so happy. Just between happy and sad, because I never thought something like that," Francisca Salvador said. "I never expected to see him in this condition."

All Christina Salvador knew was that her cousin took off for Florida. Three years ago, she found out he was in jail and figured it wasn't the worst thing.

"Okay, so maybe he's not on the street, he's there. In prison they feed you and everything. That's what we thought," Christina said.

Ulloa then took another car ride; 18 hours to New Jersey with family to catch up on the last six years.

Choose Love and Miracle Messages have worked together in the past. It doesn't always work out; the homeless person doesn't want to go home or the family wants nothing to do with that person. They have reunited two other families.

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