Peter Cassidy has turned his life around.
Picture: CBC News

A former homeless man has turned his life around and devoted his life to helping people who were once in his position.

Peter Cassidy was once an addict who found himself on the wrong side of the law after being charged with murder after a drug-fuelled night he couldn’t remember.

Although the charges were eventually thrown out, the incident was enough to prompt Cassidy to turn his life around.

He founded a program called StreetSmarts, which is dedicated to providing clothing and other essentials to people living on the streets and struggling with addiction.

He told CBC news: “The next time you see somebody who’s homeless just remember, that person could be your son or your daughter, or your mother or your father, or your grandparents. More importantly, it could be you. That’s the reality — it doesn’t take much to become homeless.”

Cassidy was one of many case studies at a “Human Library” event which is being run by CBC Ottawa and the Ottawa Public Library.

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