finally tonight highlighting human

kindness we bring you the story of one

north jersey man who's gained a

following on social media and a

reputation for extending a hand to those

in need he posts funny content and

sobering tales about his family's

business as owners of the lincoln tunnel

motel it's become a refuge of sorts for

those who've hit hard times or without a

place to call home joanna gages reports

as part of our ongoing series chasing

the dream poverty and opportunity in

america

people

need a place to stay just like i did

brian acosta arya knows what it's like

not to have a home he grew up in a motel

a secret he kept from the world in his

younger years i learned how to ride a

bike in a motel parking lot i've learned

how to play checkers and lobbies to

dribble a basketball and empty hallways

as the son of a motel owner who's now a

partner in the business and a father of

four he's using his own experience to

help others who come to his lincoln

tunnel motel in need because of the

frequency that you see these

some of these faces

you really get to know their whole their

whole lives their apartment burned down

when they got kicked out of the by their

landlord

or

they need a

somewhere private to stay

arguments with family members and things

of that nature

they come over here he does get the

everyday traveler looking for a night

stay but more often than not his guests

are regulars many struggling with

addiction or other challenges and many

including several families are residents

staying for an extended period of time

they come because they know they're

welcome and he cares he recently started

sharing about it on tick tock i get

criticized for taking in the people

other motels don't want because their

words not mine i'm only encouraging bad

behavior but how else would i learn why

addicts carry around brillo pads how

their pipes looked like the ones i'd

find on my mom's dresser we meet them on

their level you know

i turn a blind eye to oh you can't

pay this week okay and you know why

because my dad did that but this

civic-minded approach has not been

without controversy he's been fined for

allowing guests to stay who don't have

legally required identification not

everyone

is has access to proper identification

if they got out of prison for example if

they got out of the hospital they take

all their stuff

i just think that's a that's a travesty

you know i i want to help everybody the

recent events unfolding in afghanistan

touched arya's heart and he shared a

video to let it be known that they were

welcome literally watching the news in

the office

i'm like you know what i can do i can

use tick tock because i have over 400

almost 500 000 followers i can use it to

not necessarily be um hot and political

about it but i can say um just like i

say here up the block if you need a

place to stay

and and you live up the block come down

the block come down to us if you live in

another country

come over here it's not just shelter

that he offers he posted a wish list on

his tick tock page that's generated

hundreds of donations a week everything

from toiletries and personal care items

to toys for the kids who stay there

anyone needs anything

i try to go out of my way

if they need a ride somewhere

if they need um

food

if they need anything

um i'll hook them up literally and will

they tell you oh yeah yeah definitely i

mean if you put it out there that's why

you gotta talk to people meet them again

at where they're at brian's hoping that

enough people will spread the word to

reach some of those folks coming from

afghanistan to let them know that here

they have a safe place to land in north

bergen i'm joanna gagis nj spotlight

news

major funding for chasing the dream is

provided by the jpb foundation with

additional funding from the peter g

peterson and joan ganz cooney fund

[Music]