Offers of support have been pouring in from around the US for a formerly homeless man whose good deed proved costly.
James Brady of Hackensack, New Jersey was notified recently that his government benefits were being suspended after he failed to report as income the $US850 ($A902) he had found on a footpath and handed in to police.
Brady, who was homeless when he found the money on a sidewalk in April after leaving a local shelter, turned the cash over to police. He was allowed to keep it six months later after no one claimed it during a mandated waiting period.
But the Hackensack Human Services Department denied him General Assistance and Medicaid benefits through December 31 because he failed to report the cash as new income. The director of human services said the agency was just following the rules.
The 59 year-old Brady is a former photographer and market data analyst who has suffered from depression since losing his job a decade ago, according to The Record of Woodland Park newspaper.
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Brady told The Record that he hadn't realised he was required to report the money. Formerly homeless, he had recently found housing and was seeing a therapist and a psychiatrist and taking medication, but was unsure he'd be able to afford continuing care after his benefits were cut off.
The newspaper says offers of support for Brady have been pouring in from readers.
Bergen County's United Way has also set up an account specifically for Brady through its Compassion Fund.
