'I realised stranger was living under house after spotting out-of-place detail'

Finding a stranger on your property sounds like a nightmare situation for many – so a woman was understandably freaked out that someone was trespassing for months

When a woman noticed something unusual about her 113-year old house, she was understandably concerned.

As she was clearing up the outside of her home, she realised the small hatch to the crawlspace under her property was unlocked and open.

She pondered whether she was the one to leave it open, but realised it must have been like that for a while as there were so many cobwebs. So she crawled under the home with a torch to investigate.

The lass found a purple and pink blanket alongside a few bags in the crawl space – and soon realised someone had been using the area to live in.

Taking to Reddit, the woman explained: "I don't think it's been slept in super recently. It would be a serious risk for them and it's been very warm. I do think they access it to access their belongings at least weekly. The opening had no cobwebs inside as well.

"Having said that, to the left [...] there were more items and a backpack. Maybe the things belong to different people who had the same idea? The bag of stuff definitely has a head-shaped depression in it, so whether storage or just an occasional sleep spot, I'm sure someone is using the space."

When asked why it took her so long to notice someone was living under her house, the woman, from Woodburn, Oregon, added: "In my defence, I didn't know because I struggle to hear, the house is large, and I don't spend time in that part of the house.

"I'm gone a lot. I have a day job and I restore old cemeteries as a hobby - and I'll be gone up to 12 hours a day sometimes. When I get home I'm usually exhausted and sleep hard."

While many would have been scared by the thought of the intruder, the kind woman showed compassion to the stranger. She left them a note and some cash and urged them to knock for her.

The plan worked and she was able to meet the stranger living under her house. In her online post, she revealed: "Her name is Gaby, and she's in her late 40s. She said she only sleeps there occasionally, maybe once or twice a month. She said she never uses flame under there, and she mostly just keeps her things there. She apologised for not asking."

Realising Gabby had fallen on hard times and was battling with her mental health, the caring resident did what she could to help. She added: "We talked about resources and shelters, I contacted a friend who provides those things for a living.

"I gave her my phone number, put her in my car and drove her to my friend who is going to help her get food, shelter and a mental health evaluation. Fingers crossed it's the beginning of something great for her."

The Reddit post garnered 67,000 upvotes – and many commenters thanked the woman for being so caring about the situation. One wrote: "Honestly, I would have just called the cops. You are a kind soul."

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