When most people think of people without homes, “They think of 50 year old drunk men,” said James Robinson, a social work major. “That’s not the case.”
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Homeward 2020, a “very specific initiative to end homelessness by the year 2020 in Fort Collins, Colorado,” as stated by their website, will be putting on an exhibition designed to help further that goal.
Homeward 2020 gave 10 people without permanent homes disposable film cameras, which they then used to photograph their life and living conditions. According to their website, “Since the season of year has a strong bearing on what that daily experience is like, this was done each season over the past year,” ending up with 40 cameras worth of pictures.
Starting Friday, Nov. 16, these photographs will be on display in the Center for Fine Art Photography. According to Robinson, there will be a wall devoted to each season of the year.
A lot of work went into this project, the purpose?
“The most important part is to dispel the myth of what homelessness looks like,” said Robinson. “It affects lots of people.”
“It affects people with young kids,” Robinson went on. “The average age (of homelessness) is nine years old. This does a good job of conveying the extent of this problem.” He explained that there are many people who no one would ever guess were without homes. “I think there’s 40 people at CSU who are currently homeless.”
The photos include “children, families and adults showing their realities from the streets, shelters, cars, ‘couch surfing,’ on the Poudre River and experiencing life in our community from a very unique vantage point,” said their website.
Robinson is part of this project for a organized communication class.
“I think it’s absolutely served its purpose,” he said.
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Robinson also noted that on Dec. 2, some of the photos will be displayed in the basement of the Lory Student Center.
Homeward 2020 Executive Director Bryce Hach could not be reached for comment.
More information can be found at www.homeward2020.org
