MADISON, Wis.— The pandemic has brought on some unimaginable situation for people everywhere. A man now living in his car at a truck stop in Madison, says he lost his job and then everything else.     

Joe Bongiovanni is a jack of all trades, who worked as a building engineer for an over 70-unit building. He lost his job about a year ago.

Once the pandemic hit, he says employment freezes have kept him from getting a job, leaving him with no money to start over. 

After 10 months of waiting for unemployment, he finally got a check in October but used that to repay the people that helped him during this hard time. He's waiting for his next check that's expected by March, but until then he has nowhere to go. He feels going to a shelter will put him at risk of contracting COVID-19.

For now, he is using gas cards he's received as donations to keep his car running. He's using fuel and a sleeping bag to stay warm and alive.

"I've seen things transpire like at Capitol in Washington. Or just even this pandemic I would have never expected something like this in my life," says Bongiovanni. 

As temperatures continue to drop, he says it's getting hard to stay positive. His situation is "getting to be a point of life or death."

He hopes that this winter will be his last spent out in the cold. 

Bongiovanni is on a waiting list for rehousing with Porch Light in Madison, but his place on the waitlist is for over a year away. 

If you'd like to help him during this hard time, please send an email to Asal.Rezaei@charter.com.