Woman living in tent pays it forward to woman who helps the unhoused

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — The unhoused population in Oklahoma has grown by nearly 30 percent over the past year. Experts blame inflation, the lack of affordable housing, and the end of pandemic relief funds. Living in a tent in south Oklahoma City, one woman reached out to News 4 — not for a handout, but to pay it forward to a woman she calls her “angel.”

“Nobody can see us at all,” Laci Sellers said, as she led our News 4 crew to her secluded campsite. Seclusion means safety for Laci, her boyfriend, and their dog, Karmilla.

Outside their tent, the American flag stands proudly — it’s one of their few possessions.

“Residentially-challenged is what I call it, not homeless, because homeless is a mindset,” Laci said.

Laci’s journey on the streets began early in life, when she aged out of foster care at 19.

“Do I want to be out here? No. But this is what I can do right now. People say, ‘Go to a shelter, go to a shelter,’ but that’s not logical for me, not even just for my anxiety stuff,” she said.

Despite some ups and downs with jobs and former Section 8 housing, chronic health conditions led Laci back to the life she never wanted.

“I’m 32, and I have full systemic lupus, drug-induced lupus, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, systemic sclerosis, scleroderma, polymyositis overlap, and Sjögren’s.”

Laci says she’s once again on the long waiting list for housing assistance.

“Yeah, I’m on the waiting list, but I would rather just have an RV or a camper, honest to God — and not have to worry about anyone ever taking my stuff!”

But until that happens, her tent is home. While Laci does have the luxury of nearby businesses allowing the couple to charge their government-issued phones, they live with no electricity, no running water, in the coldest of winters, and in the scalding summer heat.

“With me being sick like I am, dude, it kills me.”

Laci is making herself vulnerable — wanting everyone to see life from her perspective, to help us all understand the magnitude of one woman’s generosity.

“She’s a pure angel, she’s a Mother Teresa even.”

When meals are scarce, Laci rides her bike to meet Augustina Aviles. On the clock, Augustina is the head chef at Meals on Wheels OKC, where, inside St. Luke’s Asbury, she leads the preparation of more than 8,000 meals per month.

Off the clock, Augustina runs Bagz of Luv, the mobile ministry she founded with her mother, Kelly Vargas, known as “Mama Kelly” to all she serves.

The non-profit outreach drives to the neediest of Oklahomans, offering food, blankets, clothing, supplies, and even dog food.

“It’s hard enough to come up with $1.75 sometimes just to go get a soda, or something to drink you know, let alone a bus pass, and they even help with that,” Laci said. “She’ll come out of pocket, she’ll go broke in her personal account just to make sure someone has something to eat or something to drink.”

And to thank Augustina for such compassion, Laci nominated her for a $400 Pay It 4Ward award from First Fidelity Bank.

“She has such a big heart and just does so much for so many people. So, we are very honored and excited to present her with $400 today,” said Caitlin Melgar with First Fidelity Bank.

To surprise Augustina, Laci hopped on her bike for the 30-minute early morning bike ride.

“You bend over backwards and you go broke in your own personal [account.] You’re an angel,” Laci said. Augustina replied, “It’s because I love you, dude. I love you guys, literally.”

“We’re all about consistency, we show up every Saturday, regardless of what we’ve got, we make sure they get something,” Augustina said. “We just love on them. Sometimes all people need is just some human contact and just some one-on-one time.”

“They need somebody. Everybody needs somebody, and I want to be that somebody for them,” she continued. “I want to be somebody they can count on. It’s hard when you’re walking alone on this journey.”

We do all walk different paths in life, some that we’ll never know, unless we walk in their shoes.

After several hugs and tears, Laci said, “She’s purely Christlike. Her heart is just — amazing!”

Bagz of Luv operates on donations alone. Click here if you would like to volunteer or donate to their wish list.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WRIC ABC 8News.