Security guard Amen Webster’s job tasked him with protecting a Waffle House restaurant in Clayton County, Georgia. But, one day, that role had him going above and beyond the call of duty in an unexpected way.
That’s because Webster happened to notice a customer, Lamont Hammond, and his then eight-year-old son, Monty. The patriarch appeared distressed and Webster felt he knew why. So, after reaching out to them, he told the duo to get into his car.
Before he got his job at the popular restaurant chain, Webster himself had overcome hard times. He had been homeless, but had made his way off the street and eventually moved into a two-bedroom apartment.
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On the job in February 2017, Webster happened to notice Hammond and his son come into the restaurant. Little did he know, the pair had also fallen on hard times. Indeed, Hammond had taken Monty to the Waffle House with the last bit of money he had.
As the pair sat down, Webster recognized that the father was struggling, and it mirrored the pain he’d experienced in the past. So, the security guard started a conversation with Hammond to see what was wrong. The father immediately opened up.
Webster recalled to Fox 5, “I’m like, ‘What’s wrong?’ [Hammond said], ‘Man, I got a bad day, man, I’m homeless, on the streets, and I ain’t got nowhere to stay.’” Then, the security guard noticed little Monty: “He’s shivering and cold and everything,” Webster continued.
Likewise, Hammond’s focus was also on his son. He told Fox 5 that, like Webster, he had been homeless before. But the then 37-year-old father said that, with his son in tow, “It was a totally different game for me.”
Hammond was normally able to support his son through a part-time job at Zaxby’s, as well as with his disability check. However, he was awaiting a tax refund, with which he could have afforded to lease an apartment for them both.
But, until that happened, he’d already exhausted his options for securing a place to stay. Hammond tried to check into temporary lodgings but couldn’t afford it. “I was trying to get a hotel for me and my son to stay in, but all the hotels were too expensive,” he told Fox 5.
This all led Hammond to feel “really stressed out.” He continued, “I don’t want to see my little boy on the street.” So, not knowing what his next move would be, he went to the Waffle House. Hammond surely couldn’t have imagined what would happen next.
After hearing Hammond’s story, Webster asked his manager if he could take a short break. During that time, he took Hammond and Monty somewhere unexpected – his own two-bedroom apartment, where he said the duo could stay.
Unsurprisingly, Hammond was floored by the stranger’s generosity. “He offered to let me stay in his wonderful apartment, you know, and I’m thankful for people like that,” he said. And, just 11 days later, he was able to get back on his feet – this time with some of the local community behind him.
For starters, Hammond received his income tax refund and used the highly anticipated sum to put a deposit on a two-bedroom apartment for him and Monty to share. Then, Fox 5 aired their story, which inspired others to help make their new house a home.
Viewer Ashley Sanchez told Fox 5 it was Monty’s face that inspired her to do something. “That little boy… I don’t know, I just looked at him and I just saw… I don’t know, it’s something about that little boy, it just took my heart away,” she said.
So, Sanchez reached out to her employer, who helped her fill a truck with all the supplies Hammond and Monty might need to outfit their new place. On move-in day, the empty property quickly filled up with donated furniture.
Even Webster, the security guard who helped Hammond in the first place, chipped in. He sourced the movers who brought in all of the furnishings. The donations included a sofa, loveseat, entertainment center and kitchen table in the common area.
But perhaps the most special offerings were hidden in a bedroom in the back. There, a few pieces of furniture gave young Monty the perfect place of his own. Not only did he have a bed, but a bookcase, desk and miniature basketball net, too.
So, needless to say, he and his dad were over the moon on move-in day. “This is my kingdom,” Hammond said to news cameras with a smile. “I’m still dreaming. I can’t believe this actually came true.”
Furthermore, Hammond couldn’t help but reflect on how much his luck had changed over the course of the fortnight. “You know, one minute, like, 11 days ago, I was in [Webster’s] house. [A] Few minutes in the street, then in his house. Now I’m actually in my own house,” he said.
And although the apartment wasn’t complete just yet – Hammond was still waiting for a bed of his own – he said his new home was just perfect as it put a smile on his son Monty’s face. The contented father said, “I’m missing my own bed, but it’s alright. As long as I see this little one happy.”