BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Montana Simon lives in Michigan, but after receiving a call from her homeless father back in April asking to pick him up, she made the journey to come search for him.
- Montana Simon is from Michigan, but arrived in Bakersfield Sunday morning, determined to reunite with her father David Simon, a homeless veteran.
- She tells me her father used to be a tattoo artist, owning a shop back in Michigan. But issues surrounding mental health have led to her father’s situation.
- Since arriving, she’s distributed fliers, posted on Facebook, and visited places she’s known he’s visited frequently.
NOTE: Montana's father has been blurred out in the video to respect the privacy of the family.
On the corner of Chester Avenue is the spot where a family was reunited after almost a decade of being apart. Montana Simon came all the way from Michigan on a mission of finding her father, a homeless veteran. Following lead after lead with no luck and on a deadline, she tells me she wasn't ready to give up.
It was a heartwarming reunion for a father and daughter, but the journey to get there wasn't an easy one.
Montana Simon from Michigan tells me her 65-year old veteran father, David Simon, has a kind soul with a caring personality, but mental health issues have led to her father's situation.
"I flew here Sunday morning and it's been nonstop I immediately got to printing some fliers posting those, speaking with employees and places that I knew him to frequent,” said Simon.
Montana Simon tells me since arriving, she's received numerous calls about her father, some promising, and others, not so much. In her time being here, she's spent it searching the streets for any sign of her father.
And then during our interview, something amazing happened. The call she had been hoping for, came. with the help of a community member who found her dad nearby the Starbucks on Chester avenue, Simon's search was finally over.
"I’m just so happy he's alive,” said Simon.
As of now, Simon says her plan is to get her father cleaned up and get ready to make a more than 30 hour drive back to their home.
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