Man walks from Minneapolis to California raising awareness of homelessness, addiction

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - One young man is walking halfway across the country to bring attention to homelessness and addiction.

On Saturday, Jeremy Floyd will begin his walk from Minneapolis to Santa Monica, California, stopping at youth shelters and rehab centers along the way to help others once in his shoes.

Floyd, 32, is hoping to walk 30 miles a day until the end of August when he reaches his final destination: the Santa Monica Pier.

He was once a drug addict, homeless and broken. Now, his mission is to empower others to never give up on themselves.

“From 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., 3 miles an hour. In my training right now, I’m doing 5 miles,” Floyd said.

For Floyd the mission is to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

“By every single step that I take, I’m overcoming fear,” he said.

Moving forward has always been his goal despite very challenging setbacks growing up on the south side of Chicago.

He lost his twin brother at 13 years old, witnessed his father beat his mother and lived on the streets for a long time. When he moved to Minneapolis in 2009, he was in the fight of his life to beat a bad drug addiction.

“It’s for me to face my fears of rejection…fear of dying, fear of being alone, fear of being abandoned,” he said.

Now sober and in a stable living environment, Floyd quit his corporate job to fulfill a vision of inspiring others. Unable to afford transportation, he's always relied on his two feet to get him shelter, a bite to eat and job interviews. Now, he'll spend two months walking to California.

“We all walk at some point. We may not walk 1,900 miles, but we all walk to a certain extent.”

With the help of his church connecting with other churches, shelters and rehab facilities, Floyd plans on connecting with at-risk youth in the states along the route.

“I believe my purpose in life is to help other people believe because of the situations I’ve been in,” he said.

As he prepares for this journey, he's willing to battle anything that comes his way.

“I think a lot of people live in fear. I think fear is the one thing that stops you from walking to your purpose,” he said.

Floyd will have someone from his church drive along the way with him in case he suffers an emergency. He plans to stay in motels, shelters or even camp out at night to get an early start on the next day.

If you would like to donate to his cause, click here.