📅This fact may be outdated
This event occurred in February 2014, not currently. The fact is written in past tense which is accurate. However, the outcome was complicated: while Baker did raise over £10,000 within hours using #getmichaelhome, Michael disappeared after the campaign went viral and was never located to receive the funds. The heartwarming premise happened, but the ending wasn't the simple success story the fact implies.
After coming across a "very sweet" homeless man from Jamaica named Michael on a night out, Londoner Jenny Baker took to Twitter, and within hours, using the hashtag #getmichaelhome, had raised thousands of pounds so that he could return home to Jamaica where he said he would be "happy again".
The Viral Fundraiser That Raised £10K—But Lost Its Recipient
In February 2014, Jenny Baker was on a night out in Dalston, London, when she met a 64-year-old homeless man who introduced himself as Michael. He was soft-spoken, kind, and originally from Jamaica. During their conversation, Michael shared his story: he'd come to the UK with his mother years ago hoping for a better life, but after she passed away, he found himself on the streets. All he wanted, he told Baker, was to go home to Jamaica where he could be "happy again."
Baker was moved. She went home and did what any compassionate millennial would do—she took to Twitter.
£10,000 in Five Days
Baker set up a crowdfunding page with a modest goal of £800 for a plane ticket. She used the hashtag #getmichaelhome and shared Michael's story. What happened next was extraordinary: within 24 hours, the campaign had blown past its target. Within five days, donations poured in from around the world—Canada, Dubai, Cape Town—totaling £10,215. The internet had rallied around Michael.
News outlets picked up the story. It was the kind of feel-good viral moment social media thrives on: strangers helping a stranger, technology bridging the gap between kindness and action. Baker partnered with homeless charity Thames Reach to coordinate Michael's journey home.
Then Michael Disappeared
But there was a problem. After the campaign went viral, Michael vanished. Despite working with Thames Reach, Baker couldn't locate him. He hadn't been seen since late February 2014. The man who'd sparked an international outpouring of generosity had seemingly walked away from it all.
Baker later admitted publicly that Michael might not actually want to go home—or want the help at all. She announced she'd wait until July to make a final decision, but would refund every donor if Michael couldn't be found or refused the assistance. The £10,000 sat untouched.
The Messy Reality of Helping
The story became a case study in the complexities of homelessness. As Thames Reach noted, it was "a learning curve" that showed "the situation on the streets can be more complex than the public realise." Michael knew the money existed. He knew people wanted to help. But for reasons known only to him, he chose not to claim it.
- Mental health challenges can make accepting help difficult
- Years of homelessness can create distrust of institutions and strangers
- The sudden attention may have been overwhelming or frightening
- Michael's original statement might have been a fleeting wish, not a firm plan
What started as a beautiful gesture of human kindness became something more ambiguous. The donations were real. The compassion was real. But the happy ending? That part never materialized—at least not in the way anyone expected. Sometimes the stories that go viral are the ones that remind us that real life doesn't always cooperate with our best intentions.