Personal Projects
Walk A Mile in My Shoes
"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it." -Atticus Finch.
Oregon has the highest proportion of homeless people in the nation, according to a report on homelessness issued by HUD (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Developmetnt). -Portland Tribune in 2009.
This is my experience, walking a mile in their shoes.
The Tooth Fairy (Lynn Ferrygood)
Many homeless keep all their possessions with them because they have no access to storage.
Vagabonds
Daniel, Crusty Dusty, Tic Toc, and Tipsy. Hopping trains to get from one place to another, freedom to do what they please.
Daniel
"Obtaining new experiences to further my already extensive view of the reality and existence we all perceive. I have danced my feet at raves and banged my head at concerts. I try to stay away from vexatious people. Charity work heals me while vigilance enchants me. I do believe I am a person of great honesty and integrity. I firmly believe to each his own, I am not a leader but I also do not prefer to follow. I have been roaming the northeast for the last few years in search of the holy mountain but to no avail. The search continues...."
Crusty Dusty
Tic Toc
Tipsy
Carl
From the Mid West, moved west with his wife. They both lived on the streets for a few years. Carl has a drinking problem so his wife returned home, he stayed in Portland. He spends most days reading in the library and would just like to have a job.
Carl and I
Words and phrases that is used to describe the homeless: dispossessed, outcast, exiled, vagabond, derelict, unsettled, unhoused, knights of the road, vagrants, trams, bums, unsheltered, houseless, street people, nomad, railroad tram, hobo.
"There is a lot that happens around the world we cannot control. We cannot stop earthquakes, we cannot prevent droughts, and we cannot prevent all conflict, but when we know where the hungry, the homeless and the sick exist, then we can help." -Jan Schakowsky