Al Wiebe: I Was a Hidden Homeless Person

Al Wiebe went from earning $120k a year and driving a new Mercedes to living for 26 months in a 40-year-old wrecked Mercedes in the back lane behind an auto wrecker. After losing his $120k a year job, Al Wiebe was rocked by the trauma of job loss and suffered from unchecked clinical depression. Al attempted suicide numerous times. On one of his suicide attempts, Al plunged into the Assiniboine River, only to be rescued and finding help from a Doctor at St. Boniface Hospital. Today Al has a message of hope for those who are struggling and dealing with homelessness. He recently led a campaign to name a stretch of Henry Street in Winnipeg “Hope Ally”. Henry Street was the place Al Wiebe passed countless times to different shelters and resource centres when he was homeless. Today Al uses his lived experience as a homeless person to become a 24/7 advocate for the homeless and those in poverty. This episode of Humans on Rights is a glimpse into Al Wiebe’s story.For a Transcript of this episode, click here.