Faces of Homelessness

Homelessness takes many forms beyond liv­ing on the streets. Factors besides mental illness and addiction contribute to the prob­lem. There are homeless veterans; families who were evicted when their residences were foreclosed on; people with sudden medical expenses that insurance didn’t cover. Job loss, divorce, death of a spouse or parent, domestic violence, discrimination based on sexual ori­entation, lack of affordable housing, etc., all drive homelessness. There are working poor who live in vehicles or tents and work full­-time jobs. Most people experiencing homelessness are invisible, living doubled up with friends or family, in shelters, hospitals or Single Room Occupancy hotels. Jeffrey Wolin photographs and interviews a wide swath of this vulnerable population and includes their own words directly on their por­traits to dispel our firmly-­held stereotypes.