Orange County teacher chooses to be homeless for fundraiser

Tom Rebman to live for 30 days on streets of Orlando

ORLANDO, Fla. – Orange County teacher Tom Rebman will cut ties with his family and friends, bring only the clothes on his back and live for 30 days on the streets of Orlando.

It's a social experiment and fundraiser he's been planning for months and he'll say goodbye to his family Friday night. The project, Rebman said, is aimed at raising awareness about homelessness and raising money for the cause.

Rebman said he hopes his students and others will learn that homelessness can happen to anyone.

"It's not the stereotype. It's people that are awesome, hard-working community members that this happens to," he said.

It's also a way to keep his students reading throughout the summer. He's encouraging them to read his blog posts detailing his journey.

He hopes to raise $100,000 during the 30 days. He'll post daily blog updates at his Facebook page. That's also where anyone interested can donate.

Rebman's family said they thought the plan was crazy at first, but they support him.

"It's definitely kind of scary, especially with the rain and the heat. It's going to be a definite challenge, but I think he's going to pull through. I think he's going to make it and it's going to be wonderful," said Rebman's stepson, Anthony Assal.


Recommended Videos