London couple opens home to a stranger in need of a way out of the cold

A London, Ont. couple is showing the true spirit of giving by opening the doors of their southeast London home to a stranger in need.

For Dean and Grace DiPietro, the act of generosity comes eight months after the couple lost their 38-year-old son to the same struggles that afflict their house guest.

"The mental illness that comes with it. Nobody will really understand it unless they see it day in and day out. But Jacob is my new friend. He's been a great help around here," Grace said of Jacob Tessier, the 38-year-old who has been staying with them.

Tessier declined to be interviewed but was happy for the DiPietros to share the story of their meeting. 

The couple's first interaction with Tessier came about a month ago at the Tim Hortons at Southdale Road and Adelaide Street. At the time, he had been sleeping in the sheltered walkway of the plaza, and in the nearby woods.

After they bought him a coffee, a staff member told Tessier to leave and threatened to call police. The couple sat with him, and later gave him a tent and items to stay warm. Dean later returned to the Tim Hortons and asked the staff member to apologize.

"We're both retired veterans. I've seen a lot of stuff myself, and I just kind of told her, you don't know what's going on," he said.

Grace occasionally visited the plaza to see if Tessier was there. On one occasion, she bought him coffee. On another, she took him shopping.

After her grandson's karate lesson one day, Grace found the man in the cold with dirty blankets and a small bag. "He goes, 'Oh, I'm just trying to keep warm.' I said, 'You know what, I got a warmer place for you.'"

Three weeks later, he's now staying in the couple's spare room and volunteering with household chores.

Dean recently posted in a Pond Mills Facebook group requesting clothing and received more than a dozen replies. It came in response to another user asking about Tessier's whereabouts.

It turns out that Tessier has family in the area, including a father and sister, but his mood swings are hard for them, the couple said, noting he'll be staying with his family for Christmas.

"They have children around, and it's really hard on them. I know because we've been there," Grace said. Their son, Andrew, died in April after battling drug addiction for more than a decade.

"He was doing really well at the beginning of 2022. Toward the end of 2022, I don't know what happened. It just takes once, and you're hooked again. I think that's what happened," she said.