Pat Werestiuk, a REALTOR® with RE/MAX Associates in Winnipeg, Manitoba, was out on his morning walk in the Parker lands with his dogs when he came across a homeless person in the woods. The young man, Austin Saunders, had been living in the forest for about two weeks and was intending to sleep there throughout the winter if unable to find work, social assistance, or a warmer and safer location.
“I talked to him for a bit, 20-year-old boy, and left there thinking I need to help this kid,” Pat told Winnipeg Free Press contributor Gordon Sinclair Jr.
Pat contacted a friend who owns a motel, who then offered Austin a room for a few days.
“The fact somebody could be so nice, go out of their way to show such kindness and to help you,” says Austin. “It gives me hope. And that’s what’s keeping me going now.”
Thanks to the media coverage this story garnered, Austin has since received help from an agency that assists people on the autism spectrum. They have helped him find an apartment and arrange for social assistance and other supports.
Photo credit: Phil Hossack/Winnipeg Free Press.
