'Pimped' Homeless Man off Streets

HOUSTON - A Houston homeless man is back on his feet thanks to the controversial Web site pimpthisbum.com .

Just eight months ago, Tim Edwards' address was the corner of Interstate 10 and Highway 6, where he begged for money to feed his alcohol addiction.

"Four and a half years on the street, you're going to lose pretty much all the dignity you've got," Edwards said.

Then, in February, he went from being non-existent to, as he puts it, the first online bum.

A father and son team designed a Web site featuring Edwards as an experiment in viral marketing and a way to help get Edwards off the streets. Money poured in. Edwards shaved his beard, went to a rehabilitation center and reconnected with family members.

He also met Chris Nicol, who runs a company called Nicol Pattern in Katy.

"Everybody deserves a second chance. Everybody probably has a couple years in life they'd probably rather forget," Nicol said.

Nicol gave Tim his second chance. The guy who started off the year homeless is now a full-time apprentice. He builds oilfield equipment for trade shows.

"I get to wake up and figure out how I can contribute, instead of trying to figure out how to get enough money to get by," Edwards said.

His motivation to succeed is undeniable. What Edwards lacks is confidence. "Sometimes I still feel like the same person inside," he said.

Thousands of visitors to pimpthisbum.com have watched Tim's transformation.

"We had a crazy idea, and we tried it. It created a family, so to speak, online through videos and live Web streams of Tim," said Sean Dolan, who created the site with his father.

Edwards' new job is only a few miles from the corner where he once lived. He's been back only once or twice to look.

"My first reaction was to run. It really was. I just wanted to run and get away from there," said Edwards.

His traumatic past seems a world away from his hopes for the future.

"A nice normal and peaceful life," said Edwards.

Edwards rents an apartment near his place of work. To date, pimpthisbum.com has raised about $100,000 to help Edwards and more of Houston's homeless get the tools they need to survive off the streets.