They’ve come together in a time of uncertainty - finding friendship when rejection is hard to swallow.
Jonathon Lopez didn’t know any of the people he’s sharing a South Florida home with before COVID-19, but they are all from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and they are all stranded in Miami.
"We just met, thank God, being alone in this situation is not good for anyone," Lopez said.
He says they met on the beach just before the Argentinian government closed its borders, and so they all ended up in an Airbnb together for survival after none of them could get a plane ride home.
Lopez says emails and calls to the embassy did not help.
“Our response was a list of hotels discounted," he said.
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But they are short on money — so instead a stranger they connected with through an Instagram page for Argentinians stuck in Miami due to COVID-19 came through, offering a home that was purchased as a fixer-upper for free.
The home he says is less than ideal and is infested with rats and a previous rat problem.
But they’re staying there because the empty house is the only shelter option during this time of uncertainty, and they have no idea when they can go home.
