A former homeless man, who went from living on the streets to becoming a CEO of a multi-media company, brought his story of hope to the Okanagan on Tuesday.
“If you think you are not going to succeed, you won’t take any steps forward,” Joe Roberts told the crowd at a breakfast event in Kelowna.
“I had this great group of encouragers who were there for me who said keep going Joe, keep going.”
Roberts, now 50, left his home at the age of 15 due to a family conflict. He began couch surfing with friends before eventually living on the streets in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.
“It was incredibly difficult,” Roberts said. “Not because of the physical, it was not because I was cold or hungry, it was the loneliness and disconnection from community.”
After nearly a decade on the streets, Roberts reached out to his mom, a decision that would become the turning point in his life.
His mom brought him back to Ontario where he got all kinds of help. He was also admitted into a drug treatment program.
Once clean, Roberts went to college. After graduation, he became a CEO of a multi-media company.
“I am a community investment gone correct,” Roberts said.
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“I am here today because of organizations, like the ones here in Kelowna helping us today. If i didn’t have those organizations and that mom, I would have never found that possibility for myself.”
Roberts is now walking across Canada pushing a shopping cart to raise awareness about youth homelessness.
After walking 8,444 kilometres and going through 25 pairs of shoes, Roberts brought his “The Push for Change” campaign to Kelowna, which also aims to offer solutions to the problem of youth homelessness.
“Our response is incorrect. All we do is wait until there is fire and send out a brigade. What about fire prevention, what about homeless prevention,” Roberts said. “Instead of waiting until a young person is sitting on cardboard in front of the liquor store asking for change, let’s support them when they are in the school system, let’s get them the support they need, whether it’s addiction, whether it’s mental health, or a safe place to call home.”
Roberts left Newfoundland on May 1, 2016. He’s expected to wrap up his cross-Canada walk in late September in Vancouver.
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