Activist documents 'invisible' people

The successful TV industry mover and shaker literally went from having it all to having nothing.

“What’s sad is there’s so many people who feel invisible,” Horvath said of homeless people. “It’s not that we’re bad people when we walk by a homeless person, it’s that we don’t want to feel other people’s pain.”

This week, Horvath is in Saskatoon sharing his story and documenting other people’s stories of homelessness across Canada. On Tuesday, Horvath was scouring Saskatoon streets, underbellies and allies — places he knows all too well from his days without a home. During his walkabout, he found a group of people seeking refuge behind a church on 20th Street West. Without blinking an eye, Horvath started chatting with them.

“I just talked to a gentleman on the street that most people wouldn’t ever dream of talking to,” said Horvath, “I was that guy.”

Horvath is documenting his encounters with homeless people at every stop on a Canada-wide tour. The public can follow Horvath’s journey on www.invisiblepeople.tv, a site sharing unedited, uncensored and raw interview footage. His hope is to show homeless people aren’t so different.

Horvath’s own story is a compelling one. After moving from Los Angeles to St. Louis, Horvath began rebuilding his life and before long, he was living in a three-bedroom house with a swimming pool. Times were good again, but a collapsing U.S. economy ran Horvath out of his six-figure job. Drinking and other bad choices sent him into another downward spiral. He went from being on top of the world, again, to eating $1 pizzas.

It wasn’t until Horvath made a decision to stop drinking and get back on track that everything changed. He had $45 left, a camera and a laptop — he also had an idea that would help himself and others. The social media activist decided to start visiting communities and documenting stories of homelessness in North America.

“I just had to get outside of myself and help somebody else,” he said. “There’s magic that happens when you do that and you get some perspective.”

Horvath has that perspective. He knows what it’s like to scrounge for a meal, search for a place to sleep or wonder when he would get his next drink. It’s his experiences that allow Horvath to approach people he says never get a chance to share their story.

“You can’t just put up a video and not engage with people,” he said. “If it wasn’t for the miracles I see, I wouldn’t do this.”

For as much positivity as there is exuding from Horvath, there is still some angst toward communities not doing enough to fight homelessness. When Horvath begins to sense the east versus west divide in Saskatoon, there’s an evident level of frustration.

“I hate communities where there are divisions,” he said. “These are real people who probably lived on your side of the tracks and just fell on hard times.”

As far as he’s concerned, homelessness is a problem affecting every resident of a city.

“Communities do one of two things to combat homelessness,” said Horvath. “They either try and hide it or bulldoze it, or there’s communities that embrace homelessness and do something about it.”

His nearly three-month tour began in Victoria in early July and will stop in 20 other Canadian cities along the way. Horvath’s message to residents in the city is a simple one.

“Everybody goes through hard times, we all do,” he said. “I’m living proof you should never give up on people.”

dheroux@thestarphoenix.com