Until about a year ago, Holly Grant was living outdoors in downtown Fort Lauderdale’s homeless camp, with boxes and boxes and boxes of her belongings, all neatly stacked and covered with a tarp.
Now, thanks to a recent lawsuit settlement with the city, the 75-year-old self-described “hoarder” plans to buy a van, de-clutter her life and start anew.
“You can’t hold down a good woman,” Grant said from a gathering room in her low-income senior tower, as her Chihuahua, Sugar Pie Honey Bunch, nestled affectionately in her lap.
Grant was one of 10 homeless people who sued the city for destroying their belongings last year, when the camp was razed because of a rat infestation. Now living in what she terms a “penthouse” in Coral Springs, Grant said she’ll use her portion of the recent lawsuit settlement to buy a $2,000 van. She’ll fill it with items she said she hoarded in her apartment, and sell them at a flea market. And then, the future is hers.