Richard Castaldo- homeless and recovering from MRSA

I saw this posted on Facebook. I've omitted the poster's name because I wasn't sure if it was allowed via forum rules. I can amend this to include it, if [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] says it's ok. The post appears to be legitimate. The poster has a picture of herself with Richard, there are currently over 600 shares and Anne Marie Hochhalter has commented on the post.

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My friend Richard Castaldo, Columbine Survivor, has now been in a nursing home for five months, recovering from a Mersa infection. He was evicted from his home last year and is homeless, without family support. For the totality of these five months, a small group of us have been doing our best to advocate for Richard, attempting to find him legal help, housing and part time nursing care for his wounds. I have worked with his Social Worker at the hospital, reached out to L.A. City Council members, the L.A. City Attorney, a California State Assemblymember, the Ombudsman, as well as countless organizations and no one, not one person, has been able to help. I have pitched his story to several journalists, but no one has yet been interested in running this story. I have reached out to Michael Moore, who featured Richard in his film "Bowling For Columbine." Moore never responded. All of the legislators I've reached out to have only referred me to other agencies who can do nothing for Richard. I only found one woman who truly cared and tried to help, and yesterday she called to tell me she had quit her job.
I am beyond frustrated.

I have not started a Go Fund Me for him, because if he makes too much money, he will lose his LA Care health insurance.

A lot of you have asked how you can help. One small thing is that Richard's shoes have gone missing, as has his warm fleece blanket. You can send him an Amazon Gift card so he can buy new shoes. UPDATE: Richard has received shoes and gift cards. Thank you. Please don’t send anything else now but cards as he shares a room with two other patients and has absolutely no space to put anything. What I need help with is finding him housing so he can get out of there. They can’t release him if he’s homeless.

I am currently looking to hire a private case manager to take this on and be Richard's advocate.

If you know a journalist who would write a story about this, if you have a direct contact to the LA Times or LA Daily News, if you have a direct in to Mayor Garcetti...please reach out to me. If you would like to visit Richard, let me know and I'll connect you.

You can send cards or Amazon Gift Cards to Richard at:
Richard Castaldo
℅ Country Villa Westwood
12121 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025

I’m kind of part of the community now here in Denver and I have friends in Los Angeles so I shared the post. I’m not sure what else I can do. Thank you for posting.

Yes, it's OK. If they do end up creating a Go Fund Me or make any additional posts, you can go ahead and post those too.

Jenn wrote:

Yes, it's OK. If they do end up creating a Go Fund Me or make any additional posts, you can go ahead and post those too.

Thanks!
The posters name is Hollye Dexter. She appears to be an author based in Los Angeles, CA and lists herself as a Consultant for Women Against Gun Violence. She has a blog on the WAGV homepage.
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There are now over 750 shares on the post and a number of people have commented that they are contacting various members of the media. Hopefully, this will lead to something positive for Richard.

Anne Marie Hochhalter posted the following on Facebook:

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I’m devastated hearing about Richard R Castaldo. Please everyone donate what you can, his life depends on it. His family also screwed him over like mine did to me and it’s just not fair he’s in this situation because it’s not his fault. Richard I hope it was okay to put that info in my post, let me know if you want me to edit it. I sent Hollye a message about some ideas I have to help. And all of my friends, please please consider donating amazon gift cards to him, his shoes and blanket were stolen. When I read that it made me start to cry. He doesn’t deserve to be in this horrific situation. At the very least if all of you can share this post to help I would be so so grateful.

Anne Marie is alleging that Richard's father was named as trustee of a trust set up for Richard and has misused the money and that this is why Richard is in the predicament he is in. She said her father did the same to her.
Frank DeAngelis said he is working on getting Richard a computer and contacting media to help find someone to do a story on Richard.

That's such a shame that his family won't support him. Please do post a gofundme link if they decide to make one! Richard has already been through so much in his life, he doesn't need this.

Posted early this morning:

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Hollye Dexter
7 hrs
UPDATE ON RICHARD: First of all, we have the most amazing community, and I am so grateful to everyone for caring about Richard. I’ve been overwhelmed with all of the messages of support, your good ideas, and all of your contacts to media. I was contacted by several journalists today, both in LA and in Colorado, and was able to put them in touch with Richard. You never know who might be out there who can help. Richard has been receiving your cards — thank you!
I just know that our community will find a way to get Richard back into a home, with a new wheelchair.
We’ve got this!

In the Comments, someone posted a link to this news story out of Denver
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There's a good video with it, but if you aren't able to open it the story reads:

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Columbine shooting survivor is homeless, living in a convalescent nursing home
Photos show a Columbine survivor sitting homeless and alone, still fighting medical issues that started when Richard Castaldo was shot outside his school in 1999.
Author: Steve Staeger
Published: 7:35 PM MST February 10, 2020
Updated: 7:35 PM MST February 10, 2020

LOS ANGELES — "Never forgotten" is a promise written on the Columbine Memorial in Littleton, Colo.

That promise is being tested with a Facebook post -- a plea for help for a survivor who has no home.

On April 20, 1999, Richard Castaldo was shot outside his school while he was eating lunch with a friend, leaving him paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. More than 20 people were wounded that day and 13 were killed, not including the gunmen.

Cameras followed Castaldo's recovery back then. He was also featured in the 2002 Michael Moore movie “Bowling for Columbine.”

In the years since, Castaldo moved to southern California, working to pursue a career in sound engineering.

In 2012, he lost his condo in the housing crisis. He moved into an apartment but was evicted last year when he couldn’t afford the rent.

Hollye Dexter, an advocate for gun violence prevention, met Castaldo through her work. At a rally a few months later, she noticed something was wrong.

“I went to hug him, and I noticed how hot he was to the touch,” she said.

Another advocate recognized Castaldo was ill. They called 911.

“He went to the hospital – he was in intensive care for weeks,” Dexter said. “He was very sick with a Mersa infection, which is life-threatening.”

From the hospital, Dexter said Castaldo was transferred to a convalescent nursing home, where he’s been for five months as of February.

“They can’t release him because he’s homeless -- because Richard was evicted last year – he can’t pay his rent,” she said.

“I asked what the intake paperwork said, and it just said 'homeless man.' And I just get so choked up thinking about it,” Dexter said.

She informed the nursing staff at the home that Castaldo is a Columbine shooting survivor. And since then, she’s been working to try to get him help.

“He doesn’t need things right now, he needs a place to live so he can be released,” she said.

Dexter fears donated money could jeopardize Castaldo’s government healthcare benefits. Instead, she’s looking for alternative housing options and taking suggestions via e-mail at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

In the video, the reporter mentions Frank DeAngelis, so he may have been the one that was able to get the attention of the media for Richard's plight.
Also, Anne Marie Hochhalter is now trying to mobilize people to help get Richard a new wheelchair and cushions in order to try to prevent future pressure sores, which are what led to his MRSA infection.

I just read an article about this and was about to post it if no one else had done so yet. It made me tear up just reading it. I really hope he gets the help he needs

Im gonna be honest, E & D ruined so many lives. Just think about it: Austin overdosed on drugs, Richard is sick and homeless, made students suffer from PTSD and suicide, etc.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] they absolutely did. They impacted far more people than most tend to realize. Which is why the small bit of sympathy I have for them only goes so far

Kerea2244 wrote:

Im gonna be honest, E & D ruined so many lives. Just think about it: Austin overdosed on drugs, Richard is sick and homeless, made students suffer from PTSD and suicide, etc.

I mean, that was kinda the point, they wanted people to suffer

TheOne99 wrote:

Kerea2244 wrote:

Im gonna be honest, E & D ruined so many lives. Just think about it: Austin overdosed on drugs, Richard is sick and homeless, made students suffer from PTSD and suicide, etc.

I mean, that was kinda the point, they wanted people to suffer

and they got their wish

There is a Facebook group for those wanting to help. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

My understanding is that he is on LA Health Care Insurance. If he is showing that he makes to much money, that he will lose his insurance. He does get SSI but hasn't seen a dime in 3 years. His parents are taking it all. Which is such bullshit. The money that he was supposed to get from the 6 million dollars in donations (this was for all the families but the kids that had more injuries, received more than those with less injuries), his parents kept it for themselves too. Same thing happened to Anne Marie Hochhalter too.

Richard's family has been sending death threats to Hollye who was the one that noticed he was sick and got him help. They even said that her helping him is making him worse not better. You have to be kidding me. He could have died!

Anne has experience in setting up special accounts that won't affect his SSI and insurance. So she is working on that. The greatest need right now is getting him a working wheelchair. The recent update is that they are going to get him a standing wheelchair that will give him some ease with his wounds.

I am just baffled at the behavior of Richard's family. They didn't even make their home wheelchair accessible for him. Hasn't visited him since he went to the nursing home and when he was homeless they were no where to be found. He was inches away to dying. Heck how many bullets that hit him, he was very lucky to be alive. Yet, here are 13 families that had family members that died that day that would do anything to have their children and father again. They are ungrateful, selfish human beings.

I think his family are implying that he has some sort of painkiller addiction

I can't get over the fact that somebody stole his shoes and blanket. How soulless can you be?

SandraSmit19 wrote:

I can't get over the fact that somebody stole his shoes and blanket. How soulless can you be?

I think being in a nursing home for 5 months, they could have caught on to it or put him on a better pain management treatment plan.

Latest update on Richard from Hollye Dexter, the woman who has been trying to arrange help for him.

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Update on my friend Richard Castaldo (Columbine survivor that has been in a nursing home since September.) The nursing home is on lockdown, we can't visit and he isn't allowed to have outings -- not only that but there was an outbreak of bedbugs, and all of Richard's possessions were taken and bagged up, including his brand new Mac laptop we got donated, his tablet, headphones, everything. Does anyone have an Air B and B in L.A. that is wheelchair accessible, that you could donate or give a reduced price? Or do you know of a hotel that would take him in temporarily -- just so we can get him out of Country Villa? We are trying desperately to find a temporary place for him to stay until we can get him permanent housing. We were able to raise some money for him through a GoFundMe - enough to last him several months but it isn't much to live on. Richard can't receive SSI payments if he is in a nursing home, but he can't apply for subsidized housing until he can report some income through SSI. So this is yet another reason we need to get him out of Country Villa (as if the bedbugs and cockroaches weren't enough reason).