After Miley Cyrus brought 22-year-old homeless man Jesse Helt to the 2014 VMAs — and had him accept her Video of the Year award and speak on stage about homelessness in L.A. — the aspiring model was thrust into the public eye in a big way.
His newfound celebrity earned him the attention of the cops in his native Oregon, where he had a warrant out for his arrest, and, subsequently, imprisonment after he turned himself into the cops late Thursday. Still, My Friend’s Place — the organization through which Cyrus met Helt and now supports — is hopeful that Cyrus’ support of both Jesse and the cause will help draw attention to the plight of young homeless people across the U.S. and will lead to a positive outcome.
“All we want for these young people is to find the opportunities to step into resolving issues — to be able to take accountability and move forward with their lives,” Heather Carmichael, executive director of My Friend’s Place, told MTV News. “That is scary for everybody, to hold ourselves responsible for the mistakes we’ve made. To be able now to have the resources to maybe take this on and resolve it in partnership with whatever adult steps in, as scary as that might be for [Jesse]… I hope this an opportunity to change the stage he gets to stand on in his own life.”
“If he now has a friend in Miley that’s going to help ...
Read More →
...
