Joe Roberts was once a homeless youth, heroin-addicted, living under a bridge on Vancouver's downtown east side.

Today, he has transformed his life and is trekking across the country to save other youth from a similar fate.

The millionaire philanthropist has embarked on a mission: pushing a shopping cart 9,000 kilometres, from Newfoundland to Vancouver, to raise $17 million and increase awareness for the issue of youth homelessness.

He arrives at the Sheraton Parkway Hotel in Richmond Hill this weekend, part of a Rotary Club event raising money for York Region’s 360°kids shelter.

We met up with him as he reached Cobourg – and the $130,000 mark in fundraising – to ask him about his experience thus far.

Q: Why did you choose to do a cross-country walk? Hasn’t this been done many times before?

A: Yes, it’s been done before, but there’s a reason why it keeps being done. Canadians love it, the idea of sacrificing to traverse the entire country. This format works. But in order to be relevant you have to connect with local groups and engage with them in keeping the message forefront.

Q: What is the message?

A: I want people to know how easily it can happen and what the root causes are: family conflict, mental health, early childhood trauma. That kid you see sitting on a piece of cardboard on the sidewalk was once sitting in a classroom and is now trapped in drugs or gangs or the sex trade. We need to enlist the school system to get the resources to help before these kids leave home, and then we need to support groups like 360°kids which is the last bastion of hope and dignity for them. 360°kids is one of the leaders in understanding the issues of youth homelessness and how to address it in a systemic way. They know that only through collaboration can we reduce or prevent homelessness. It’s going to take civic groups, children’s aid, law enforcement, health and education all working together.

Q: You set out May 1 in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Tell us about the highlights and lowlights of your trek so far.