New York City. Ken. 9.22.17

It is not often that I get to do this, so I want to take this opportunity to start a blog with feel-good news.

By now, less than one week after we met Ken, he is more than likely getting settled in and taking the necessary steps to “start over”; because on 9/23 at 7:10am Ken was getting on a train to Indiana where he would stay in a hotel and purchase clothing for 99 cents at the local Goodwill.

Having been on the streets for a total of 1.5 years – his current stint lasting 3 weeks, due to poor choice in company – Ken mostly kept to himself. Like many of the individuals we speak with, he preferred the streets to a shelter, hadn’t slept in days (9 to be exact), and the bridges back to his family had been burned long ago.

Additionally, just like those before him, his positivity was awe inspiring.

We had asked Ken to give us a phone call when he had gotten himself settled in Indiana. Until then, cheers to new beginnings!

New York City. Zakk. 8.1.17

Zakk was very straight to the point with us. In fact, I am almost certain he would have preferred us to read the sign he was holding. His sign, representative of a 4th grade poster board project highlighting a hero, had all of his information on it. It was clear, he was a veteran.

Zakk joined the military when he was 18. Two years later he shot three times, leaving him confined to a wheelchair 80% of the time. Zakk was discharged at 20. At 28, after a stint in jail, he lost his apartment due to his brother’s mishaps. And now, at 30, Zakk lives on the streets, as the 30% disability/$340 per month he receives from the government* (and a tumultuous family relationships) significantly limits his options.

Zakk – although a moan of few words – was one of sincere character. It is our hope that the increase he put in for (2 years ago) is approved and that he can – once again – get his life back on track (and keep it that way).

For more information on homeless veterans please visit the links below:

• http://www.supporthomelessveterans.org
• http://www.va.gov/homeless/
• nchv.org

 

 

 

 

New York City. Mayah. 8.1.17

If I am being honest, we ended up passing Mayah solely because a wanna-be hip hop artist, who was eagerly pawning his “newest and greatest CD”, informed us that there were kittens in her general area. It turns out, he wasn’t wrong. Along with her boyfriend, Mayah did have the company of a kitten.

“This is strictly temporary” were the first words that came out of Mayah’s mouth when we approached her. She went on to explain that she and her boyfriend had moved to New York with the promise of public housing; however, it all seemed to be taking far longer than either of them had  anticipated. Mayah continued on – her candor obviously beginning and ending with us – as she made mention that her family was unaware of her current living arrangements. They believed they were experiencing NYC as renters; a secret that would have a short shelf life, as their plan was to return to Massachusetts within the next month or so.

While we weren’t exactly able to understand the situation that resulted in Mayah and her mini family to live on the streets, it was important to us that we understood her experience, albeit temporary. Like many of those we had spoken to prior, she told us tales of money being stolen and actions from the public that are powered by stigma. Their experience with the police force has been nothing but positive and their engagement with other homeless individuals appeared to leave a bad taste in Mayah’s mouth. The generosity, however, was far superior than what she had witnessed in other areas of the US; specifically Miami, where a generous onlooker was fined $500.00 for giving a sandwich to a homeless man.

Our conversation with Mayah, although brief, was encouraging. It led me to look back on everyone we have spoken with and it was then that I realized that while it is not often spelled out in certain terms, they all believe their homelessness to be temporary. Here’s hoping Project Humanize can help their belief to become reality.

 

 

Project Humanize Spotlight

We were honored to be spotlighted by Changing Optics in the month of August.

Changing Optics has the following objectives:

• Educating students young and old on how to apply photography skills to non-photography conversations about politics, religion, relationships, etc
• Highlighting nonprofit Photography organizations that need photographers like yourself
• Increasing awareness of any & all nonprofit charitable organizations who can benefit from what a photographer can provide
• Spotlighting photographers who are making a difference with their art via photo activism, photojournalism, contemporary art and documentary photography

 

This is our story:

New York City. Nameless. 8.1.17

The other day the question was raised about how many individuals have turned down speaking to us and it was with a sense of pride that I was able to respond that not one person has yet to decline our interaction.

Then I remembered the woman you see in the above photograph and how close my answer came to being “one”.

*For the sake of the flow of writing I will now refer to the woman as “Jane Doe” (I know,how original)

Initially when we sat next to Jane she was hesitant to speak with us, as she had a bad experience previously when speaking to someone about her situation. However, within seconds, it was as if a switch turned on and she began telling us her story. She even allowed us to take her photo.

Jane had “everything” in life, she exclaimed. Unfortunately for her, that “everything” included a penchant for heroin. A penchant that she has since abandoned, but one that has resulted in sleeping on the streets of New York City for the past 3 years.

For us, this was the first time we had spoken to an individual whose story fit the stigma we are trying so terribly to eradicate. This was also the first time that we were told that the family of the homeless person was willing to – actually, desperately want to – have them come home. Jane explained that if she were to call her mother at that very moment, that she would come to pick her up immediately. Obviously aware that she peaked our curiosity (I mean…why not go home, then?), Jane continued on to explain that she “put herself in this situation, and she wanted to get herself out of it.” So while her vice may fit the stereotype that the masses attribute to all homeless, her outlook most certainly does not.

While our interaction with Jane was full of many firsts, it was also chock-full of norms. Jane, too, had been waiting on breaking ground for a housing assignment; and effort that was mismanaged by two case workers. Additionally, she was quick to call the other homeless individuals “family”; a camaraderie that was further solidified when she noted that if it were between her and a person that was suffering from a mental illness, she would give them her bed (although, she herself, was suffering from a rather serious medical issue).

In short…while her name will continue to remain a mystery, her courage will not.