White Rock handyman goes from homeless to housed with help from neighbours

A White Rock man has gone from sleeping on a park bench to happily housed — thanks to the dozens of homeowners nearby who employed him as their personal handyman last year.

But the first couple to hire Jay, an out-of-work tradesman, say they aren’t the ones who’ve done a good deed.

“Jay helped us,” said Emma Burnett.

She hired him in March to paint the handrails outside of her South Surrey home after he responded to her Craigslist ad.

“Jay was so punctual, efficient and hard working — you never would have guessed he was homeless. He really changed the way I look at people and their situations. It was a lesson to me that you never know what someone is going through and that everyone deserves a chance.”