THE Glasgow businessman whose post about a homeless man named Jonny went viral has said he won’t stop raising awareness about the issue until a solution emerges to put homelessness to an end.

The Evening Times previously reported how entrepreneur Kieran Cannon set Facebook alight with the story of a homeless man from Greenock named Jonny he met in the City Centre week.

In an impassioned post, 27-year-old Kieran described how he was looking to reach Jonny’s family after he sat with him in Glasgow Green.

READ MORE: Praise for Nicola Sturgeon as she talks to homeless man in Glasgow City Centre

Now, speaking to the Evening Times, Kieran, from Bearsden, described how “this isn’t about me,” adding: “There’s a bigger social issue out there that needs to be tackled.”

He said: “I’m looking to document my journey and experiences of working with the homeless. I want to create awareness around the issue. Everyone in the country knows about it, but I really want to get down to the bottom of how to prevent it and how you can help a loved one when they’re headed down that route and how you can get them out of that situation.

“A lot of work’s being done to give homeless people food and survival kits, but what does that change? It only addresses the issue at the surface. So I’ve met with a homelessness group in Maryhill for help on how to provide a route of the situation.”

Kieran’s original social media post has close to 30,000 reactions - but not all of the feedback has been good.

He said: “I’d say around 95 per cent of the feedback I’ve had from that post has been phenomenal. But there’s been that five per cent of people telling me I’ve no right to interfere with someone’s life.

“My response to that is a very simply analogy. I’d say, ‘If you woke up tomorrow with no money, would you steal?’ Of course, stealing is totally wrong but, in that instance, you would make it right for the sake of your family.

“Me talking to this guy in this instance is right. He’s got no support from his family and no friends. He told me his story for a reason, because he’s screaming out for help.

“People might wonder why I took that story onto social media, but I had to make a judgement call: if Jonny were to die of hypothermia or pneumonia, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.”

Kieran described how he only recently became involved with trying to help the homeless.

He said: “I’m been at bars and restaurants and have been consumed by myself and the people in my immediate circle. I never gave the topic much thought until recently. When I watched James English’s Homeless at Christmas documentary, that changed my perception.

READ MORE: Glasgow businessman’s emotional plea to help find homeless man’s family goes viral

“A friend in Australia knew of mates in Glasgow handing out survival kits and asked if I could help. I’ve always had a deep connection with personal and self-development. When I went out there, I connected with people on a deeper level than most. Nobody really asks, ‘How are you?’. No-one really wants to know the answer. There are so many different stages to homelessness.

“I was giving out survival kits on the Green that night. When I approached Jonny, he was cold. He started telling me about his living situation. He could’ve lit a room up with his energy when we gave him supplies. He was just a bundle of joy. I sat with him for an hour. We were both in tears.

“My experience with him was my first deep connection with someone homeless. He just opened up.

“To all the critics out there, you don’t know what I went through with him or the emotional connection we made. For people to judge that situation just goes to show how homelessness is perceived today. People just judge a book by its cover.

“There are still a lot of details I need from Jonny. I’ve been going back everyday, but he’s not been there. Someone has some information somewhere. Only Jonny can give it. Would I go public with details? Probably not. People will get an update but the details won’t go public.”

READ MORE: James English film shows harsh reality of rough sleeping in Glasgow

Urging people to change their way of thinking, Kieran continued: “Take a step back and think: if that was your loved one, would you want to know if they were homeless on the street? Absolutely. Not a lot of people take the time to understand the situation or what the person’s going through. That’s the problem: everyone wants to be someone else but no-one wants to be themselves. If you were just yourself, you don’t know what you could uncover.”

Look at the bigger picture on his quest, Jonny said: “There are a lot of great people and independent and Government-funded organisations out there doing great work. There are more resources than ever, so why is this problem increasing?

“Part of my quest is now to question the establishment and the Government on why it’s still happening. People need answers. I’ll be writing to Nicola Sturgeon about it.

“From here, it’s a soul-searching and fact-finding exercise. I’m meeting with so many great and helpful groups and organisations to see why things are fragmented. Homeless people just don’t know the first step to take. My purpose now is finding a solution for how to get from your current situation to change your life”.

“I’m not an organisation. I’m just one human being trying to make a difference,” he said. “People take clothes to charity shops, but if you really take the time to sit with someone, if you feel safe enough to do so, do it. It’s totally life-changing and addictive.”