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Millionaire pushes shopping cart across Canada to shed light on youth homelessness

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[ThePushForChange’s channel/YouTube]

Joe Roberts is a millionaire and business executive, but without the help of others when he was addicted to drugs and living under a bridge in Vancouver, he may have not lived up to his full potential.

And now, the chief executive officer of a multimedia design company is giving back to those who are in the same situation he was in 27 years ago.

In an effort to raise money and awareness for youth homelessness, Roberts started pushing a shopping cart across Canada as part of The Push for Change initiative, which hopes to eradicate youth homelessness.

Roberts’ journey will take him across 9,000 kilometres as he travels from St. John’s to Vancouver. He started pushing in May and has already completed a third of his goal. He hopes to finish his 517 days of walking by the end of September 2017.

Roberts told CTV’s Your Morning Tuesday that the campaign was inspired by his desire to share his story to help others.

“We asked how we could take this story across Canada and engage Canadians in a conversation on what we can do to support vulnerable young people,” Roberts explained. “A good friend of mine said: ‘Why don’t you push a shopping cart?’”

Roberts said he hopes to change the stigma around youth homelessness through his cross-country efforts, including the common misconception that people are living on the streets because they want to be.

The executive revealed he’s part of the 67 per cent of young people who find themselves homeless because of a family conflict.

“And when you take a look at what the antecedents are that actually lead to homelessness, it’s not what we think. It’s mental health, it’s addictions, it’s family conflict, it’s early childhood trauma.”

While travelling coast-to-coast can be a gruelling experience, the millionaire revealed he keeps his goal in mind to help him push forward.

“I stay focused on what it is that we’re trying to do. And that is to raise the conversation, to raise dollars and to give voice to those who are invisible,” Roberts said.

“On days where it’s hard, on days that it’s raining, on days that it’s physically exhausting, I remember who it is that I’m pushing for and it’s those young people.”

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[ThePushForChange’s channel/YouTube]