ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Thanks to Spectrum Bay News 9 viewers and getting the word out, the only evidence that a homeless Cuban political prisoner was living in a parking lot is the shopping cart she left behind.

Earlier this week, 65-year-old Belkis Ferro set up camp in a St. Petersburg parking lot with her four dogs.

Residents Debbie and Joe Bross spotted Ferro on Wednesday and decided to help her.

Joe is a retired St. Petersburg police detective and discovered that Ferro was a political prisoner in Cuba who was tortured in the 1970s.

Bross said as soon as Ferro's story began airing Friday morning, he started getting calls from viewers who wanted to help.

He said the Pinellas County Homeless Leadership Board answered the call for help and picked up Ferro, her belongings and her dogs and took her to a hotel.​

"They have her in a hotel for the week and they're providing social services for her," he said. "So, that will help her down the road if she needs a little bit of longer time."   

There was another city organization that helped but didn't want its name publicized.

The couple said if it wasn't for caring viewers, Ferro would still be sitting in her little camp, homeless.

"We are so thankful that Bay News 9 was able to give this lady a voice and that we were able to initiate getting some help for her," Debbie Bross said. "It just makes us feel so great and we're so thankful to the community for the outpouring of help."