Cory Monteith: I was on the verge of homelessness

[stop bullying]

The Star: “...My mom is so excited I can't even explain it to you,”
the Calgary native says on the phone from the Los Angeles set of Glee
last week. “She's just freaking out.” Here's the real shocker: not
that long ago, before he became known to millions as Finn Hudson,
there was very little glee in Monteith's life. He was, in fact, at
genuine risk of being homeless in Vancouver. That came out in a
conversation about a cause he backs: the push to create a National
Youth Homelessness Awareness Day in Canada on Nov. 17. Monteith is a
very committed spokesman for the cause, which is backed by Sir Richard
Branson's Virgin Unite “Re*Generation Canada” movement. Monteith
points out that there are more than 65,000 homeless youth on the
streets of Canada, and, yes, he was close to being one of them. After
his parents split when he was seven, Monteith dropped out of school in
Grade 9 and never went to university. For a while, he took odd jobs as
a Wal-Mart greeter, roofer, even working at a car wash. His pursuit
of an acting career took him to Vancouver, but he endured poverty and
rejection. “I definitely experienced a marginalized situation. I was
not homeless but I was definitely at risk.” Monteith was around 20
when things were at their low point. He says it was acting teacher
Andrew McIlroy, who mentored him, gave him direction and got him
passionate about an acting career. He also credits his “Vancouver
acting collectives,” the other young hopefuls who provided family-like
support. “That's pretty much where I grew up, where I moved from one
period to another, from treading water dangerously to really getting
excited about something...”

http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/television/article/890512--cory-monteith-i-was-on-the-verge-of-homelessness