Building a new network

Las Vegas, Nevada Panhandlers with a sense of humor.

My goal is to travel around the United States to document the story of homeless encampments on a national scale. I was at ground zero in Miami when the epidemic began now there seems to be an a silent battle between people who need personal shelter and the places that do not want them to set down roots.

There are attempts all over the country to end homelessness and prevent people from squatting on public and private land. My mission is to show the stories taking place as homeless people try to organize themselves and systems seek to prevent the epidemic from getting worse. 

 . 

While we watch stories we want to pick out the good guys from the bad guys but it is really hard to do.   The roles tend to reverse and flip around and keep us guessing. So my job is not to takes sides or to judge but to just document the issue.

In order to do this I need to shift the way I work.  In the past, I spent a huge amount of time creating relationships both in the homeless communities and with the social workers. Due to the limited time I can afford to stay in each city I am now relying on making good connections with social services. When I find a good homeless outreach team I can use them as bridge to get introduced. But in each city the relationship between the team and the communities change.

To test my ability to network I planned two trips with the goal of hitting two cities on each trip.  I spent about a month making phone calls and trying to set up alliances. In Miami doing this was rather easy.  Now even with experience I must say that the adventure felt like I was pulling people’s teeth.

The first trip was to Las Vegas, NV and Los Angeles, CA  The second trip was to Pittsburgh, PA and Wheeling, WV. In three of the cities after endless phone calls all I reached was deadends. Outreach services either didn’t know much about homeless squats or they were not interested in participating in exchange for photographs. One city wanted me to tell them where the camps were so that they could shut them down.   I’m not willing to reveal a source if it means the people I meet will end up losing their homes. I can’t become part of the story. I’m only there to document it.

I can and did go out on my own and could see exactly what I was looking to shoot but I was not willing to jump in and get deep into my work without at least one assistant. When my attention is through the camera I am no longer aware of my surroundings. Even if my lookout is a homeless person I know to ALWAYS have an extra set of eyes around. It may be that I can’t rely on homeless outreach services as a partner and may need to assemble my own team. I am still working out the kinks of how to do this and I have not exhausted all my ideas. Meanwhile in places like Las Vegas I spoke with endless people and gathered information for a return trip. 

The very best shooting experience of the month was in Los Angeles where I hope to return and work in more depth. While the city has a really bad image regarding the topic of coping with the homelessness, which we shall discuss at another time, the city’s outreach teams were excellent at communication and building relationships with the community.

Expect to see photos and hear stories about these adventures in future blog posts.

We all want power and luxuries

Everyday each and every one of us are solving problems and making choices.  We need to eat, have a safe place to sleep and a space to keep our stuff. We all want a place to call home. While you may take it for granted that you have these issues covered, not every does.

This documentary is about the people solving these basic issues and creating a space they call home. First you need a bed, place to keep your clothes, a source of water and a long list of necessities.  Once you get the basics taken care of the desire begins for the luxuries.

Homeless people are no different than the rest of the population. They want a little luxury in their living space too.  The first luxury on the list tends to be electricity. With that you can watch television, power a fan and run a whole host of appliances such as a hot plate to cook with.

Now how can a homeless person get electricity you might ask? When there is a will, there is a way. As far back as the 1990’s electricity showed up in shantytowns by way of streetlights. No, not just the light itself but it also the power it delivered in the form of electricity.

At the base of the streetlight there is an electrical box and wires. Now the juice in them was a 220 current and some homeless people were smart enough to rewire it down to 110 and create an outlet to plug things in. There were fires in the shantytowns so we may assume that occasionally the source may have been from a bad electrical issue.

In the photo is John. He was a quiet man I met in the 1990’s while the mental institutions had released all the patients to the streets of Miami. I always assumed he was a former patient since he lacked people skills and never talked much. He barely ever spoke. What he lacked in the art of communication he made up for in technical ability. He sat in his shanty by day and fixed broken appliances he found in the garbage.

Presently, when homeless camps want electricity they run small personal generators. There is an issue of not having the generators get stolen but that is something they need to cope with as part of daily survival. 

If you were facing dire circumstances such as homelessness what luxury would you want and how far would you go to manifest and maintain it?

We can't judge a book by the cover

I was working on an assignment and rushing to meet a deadline to upload images when I drove by this scene. A man, woman and young boy were in the intersection  of St Charles and Louisiana Avenue ( New Orleans, La ) begging for money. I’ve really been noticing the panhandlers recently. They are everywhere and they usually have the look of the people next door. One girl looked like a cheerleader who just came from a football game!

The driving force of my personal work has been always been “there by the grace of God go I.”  How would I handle the circumstances that other people find themselves in?

Regardless of my personal stress over deadlines I drove around the block and parked my car full of equipment within eyesight as I walked up on the mother and child. Normally I would sit and chat with people for a long time and hear their story but I didn’t have the time nor did they. There was work for both of us to be doing.

I could see the father turn away with shame as if he didn’t want me to take a picture. He doesn’t know me and he doesn’t know what the photos were about. I asked the mom if I could take a few shots and she relied “Yes.”

The boy smiled like a young prince and I clicked off four frames as the street car rolled into the last shot. The boy then turns to his mom and says “ Mom, does she know?”  The mom is still holding a sign saying they are a homeless family.  The mother responds to her son “ Yes.  She knows.”

Then she went her way and I went mine but I could not get them out of my mind. I could tell she was a good mom and had a deep connection with her child. I have no idea what her story was. I have learned from people in life that there is the story  people need to present and then there is a deeper reality that is carried within.

Whatever her personal truth is the facts are clear there was a man, woman and child panhandling for change in an intersection. The child will always remember these life events. 

Today families mostly of single mothers make up the fastest growing section of the homeless population. The lucky ones rent a hotel room if they can afford it. Or live in cars if they own one.  This woman was fortunate to have a male partner so there is another potential source of income. That makes her more blessed than most.

Single homeless mothers need to work to pay bills but the jobs may not pay enough to cover childcare expenses. There are programs that MIGHT help but getting into them is not that easy. Plus it does not necessarily feel safe to trust low cost childcare providers with the children you love.  Not everyone has a safety net of family and friends to help when times get tough. I'm sure this family had deep appreciation for the generosity of strangers that day.

Freewill for all

No picture for this post.  You will need to refer to the last entry for the image. It is Mardi Gras and the Superbowl was just here in New Orleans and I have had a long stream of house guests.  I found myself showing off my town and I took them to a spot I recently photographed. Guess who I ran into? The same homeless kid and the same girl from the last post sitting in the same spot. They were not looking as good as the last time I saw them.

His name is Joe.  Her name is Kat and no, he did not start the new job. He says he has applications out. I told him he inspired me and I wished that I would have inspired him and that I was going to be riding his case like a mother !  Poor kid has no idea how much I mean it.

The first thing I learned from this project is that people have freewill and as much as we want good things for them nothing will change until they want it too.  I would love to see this young guy do something great with his life but me wanting that for him has nothing to do with him wanting that for himself.  Unless he makes different choices, nothing in his world will change. I have to accept that.  Everyone has freewill to exercise anyway they wish. Our lives are simply a result of our own choices.

With the Superbowl in town last weekend I noticed our homeless population has completely disappeared with the exception of the young people around Covent house ( a shelter for homeless teens).  I have no idea how the homeless segment of the population has managed to disappear but I expect them to reappear soon.

Ma'am, what are you doing?

You might have noticed that I have taken a slight sabbatical from blogging. I had it in my mind that if I worked really hard on my project that I could bring it to completion in 2012.  Why is it that I plan and God laughs? I spent a lot of time, energy and money submitting proposals and marketing this project trying to get it to the next level.  Then all at once the rejections piled up fast and the disappointment was overwhelming. "This a great project" I am told but it is "not commercially viable." No, it is not a commercial venture at all.  If it was financially self supporting it would not be taking me twenty years to get it off the ground!

Ever since I started this documentary it was hard for me to start anything new. How can I split my attention when I can not get this one exhibition completed? I do not lack passion or conviction and I truly believe this story needs told and has an audience. So why is there such a blockage in getting it the attention it deserves?

A few months ago I sort of walked away from it for a while. I couldn't wrap my head around what I was doing wrong. I also came up with a new idea to photograph a different subject. It is something that is unrelated that appears to be commercially viable and I put my attention there. While out shooting for the new venture I heard a voice asking me what I was doing. I ignored them. "Ma'am, what are you doing?" They kept repeating the question until I turned around and responded "I'm just taking a few pictures."


 
When I turned around I  met the guy pictured above. I wish I can tell you I remember his name.  I do not.  I was absorbed with what I was shooting and wanted to avoid small talk, but this guy was not going to let me. With his beer in a brown paper bag he sat there like he had all the time in the world to be social. He made sure he pulled me right into a conversation whether I was interested or not. 

He explained that he has been through some hard times recently and made some really stupid mistakes. Yet on a  good note his life was turning around and that he was starting a new job on Monday. He is an iron worker and if the new job works out he will be back on his feet soon. Before long I was sharing my stories with him as well.  

I couldn't help but ask about his housing situation. He said he was living on the streets which given the area of town where we were it was no big surprise.   I pointed out to him that he looked like a young Brad Pitt. I told him "with those good looks and that pearly white perfect teeth smile there is nothing you couldn't be, do or have and yet you chose this? Wake up dude!" He is so cute even with the silly little tattoos and face piercing. His poor choices "must be driving his mama crazy with worry."  He laughed and agreed and reminded me this was all about to change and that hopefully he has learned his lesson. 

I told him about the Structure Out of Chaos project and he gave me a mutually beneficial pep talk. We both made each other promises to try harder and believe. You know, I am really glad I talked to him. The things he said seem to have had an effect on me and I hope I did the same for him. Neither one of us could encourage the other without hearing our own words and knowing we need to apply that wisdom to ourselves.  

Last weekend I sent out yet another proposal for Structure out of Chaos and plan to do more. I'll be back to blogging about the story again soon. I intend to get this project done.

Pets of the homeless

Homeless people have pets.  Or is it that the animals in crisis gravitate to the homeless people as there is a connection of souls that need each other. When I started this project in the 1990’s the encampments that I visited were rather large. Just about every day dogs and cats were dropped off because someone didn’t want them and it became the responsibility of the homeless people to see that the animals ate.  Sadly the pets were not spayed or neutered and there were endless litters of puppies and kittens.  Also in the camps were ducks and chickens that the dogs and cats seem to ignore. Chickens are popular in Miami for fresh eggs and they are a common sight around the city.  

Homeless people with pets know that they can't take them everywhere.  The owner may need to go off to eat at a shelter or meet with social workers. When ever they leave a pet even for a short period they need to trust that someone will look after it in their absence or they risk losing that companion.

The saddest most confusing experience I witnessed during this project was when  the encampments were being closed down and strangers appeared to decide the fate of the pets. Animal control came and gathered up pets to take off to the pound. Concerned citizens came to lay claim on a few puppies and kittens. None of them took into account that the animal they were taking belonged to someone.  Not only were the residents of the camp losing their shanties, their pets were being taken away as if they were neglectful caretakers.

One man had a dog (See the photo above) that went almost everywhere with him. The dog was always on a leash. On eviction day he left the dog at his shanty and went on an errand. While he gone his dog was taken away to the pound. Even if he wanted his friend back he didn’t have the transportation or the money to retrieve his beloved dog. It broke my heart because I imagined how I would feel if it happened to me.

There is certainly a gray area of what is right and what is wrong.  Just because a human is homeless does that mean they do not have the right to have a dog or a cat? From the reactions of the stranger that day I almost felt they were more concerned for the animals than the people. I was trying my best to observe and stay neutral but I had a hard time watching the homeless man I knew grieving for his dog.

Encampment residents that refused to accept “treatment” must now become wanders without shelter and the talk I heard all around me on eviction day was what about the homeless pets? I like animals a lot but what about the people?  What is going to happen to them? The answer was that treatment was offered. They have the right to refuse treatment. Outreach workers are not responsible for people that refuse treatment. I heard sorrow for the pets because the pets did not choose this existence but the people did. Is homelessness a choice? Do pets have more rights than the people? I ask this knowing that the pets in the animal shelter if not adopted will more than likely be euthanized.

I agree the majority of homeless people I photographed appeared to have substance abuse issues. But it was not true for all of them. There was not a social program for every problem there was only a list a programs dealing mostly with drugs and alcohol adiction. Regardless of why the resident was homeless the ultimatum was simple: accept a program or not. Either way, this shack will be demolished on this date and if you do not hide your pet you will be permanently separated from it.

At the camp of sex offenders (Bookville) in 2010 there were a lot of cats but no dogs. The cats were good at keeping down the rodent population however they often sprayed their territory and you could smell their presence.  Residents learned to keep valuables like spare shoes away from the prowling felines who would certainly mark them.

The sex offenders were middle class citizens unable to move home with their families due to laws prohibiting it. They were homeless by force and not homeless by choice. They wore leg monitors to assure they check into the camp under the bridge each night.  Sleeping under a bridge was not a place they wanted to call home. The residents agreed not to bring dogs there because they liked dogs and didn’t want to see the animals suffer in anyway.  When strays wandered into the camp they would find it a good home.

Is it right for homeless people to have pets when by society’s standards they are not even capable of taking care of themselves?  Or is possible that pets in their lives are sources of unconditional love that the individual may need? Regardless of the reason that a person is in a chronically homeless situation it may be nice to believe that a pet could encourage a positive transformation. Receiving unconditional love may be healing feeling even if it comes from an animal.

Here is a link to a story in Los Angeles about a dog that touched the hearts of people living on skid row: http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-dietrich-dog-skid-row-20120820,0,6492641.story

Please check out my website for this project at http://www.marylou.us/chaos .  I also have a facebook presence at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Photographer-MaryLou-Uttermohlen/201723200603?ref=hl . This part of the project was made possible by an individual artist fellowhip of $5,000 from the State of Florida. 

Establishing MUTUAL TRUST

Not only did I have to earn their trust, they had to earn mine!

I am working alone as I shoot and going inside these wooden boxes is sort of a requirement so I had to get over my fear and decide that I can trust some people.

My first day shooting alone was sort of scary.  I really wanted to move this series along which means I needed to convince people to let me in their homes. But once inside the best shots will be a mixture of artificial and natural light from the door so I need to be standing deep inside the room and they needed to be close to a door or window.

Ok, lets think about this. I am a girl alone with thousands of dollars of camera equipment and I am asking people (mostly men) to go inside their shanty and have them block the entrance?  Yes!  Indeed this sounds insane! But if I want to do this project then this is how it has to be done.

Title: Jerome's Porn Http://www.marylou.us/chaos

So here I am alone in a camp with a lot of people around. Some people like me and some do not. Some I have already photographed. I need to meet someone new and see if I can get them to let me take a portrait inside their home.

Before long I met a big dark skinned black guy named Jerome.  He was from Jamaica with a bit of an accent. Says he is in college and lives in the camp. Wow was he ever big. He was 6’3” at least and weighed about 240 pounds. He said he wanted to show me something inside his house. I wasn’t sure if I should be thrilled that I found someone to photograph or freaked out that this guy could hurt me.

I guess I was more fearful than I would admit because I didn’t want to go past his front door. If I were to get in a battle with this guy I would not win. He says “ You can’t see it from there. Come in and sit on my bed.” I was getting scared. This was so dumb. I should not go in. This guy could totally hurt me. Jerome started to pick up on my apprehension and says “Are you scared?  I won’t hurt you.  I promise. Please.” Great that comment just made my fears worse.

I was scared because people in my personal life were telling me to be scared and to stop this project but my gut said that I needed to do this documentary and whimping out was not an option. Besides, I was the one who decided the best shots were from the inside. I needed to have faith that I was there that day for a reason.   I went in and set on the bed.

When I looked up at what he wanted me to see so badly I started to laugh uncontrollably. Jerome said “ See I told you had nothing to worry about with me.” God was he ever right about that. What he wanted me to see was his collage of naked men with all their male glory. Yes indeed it was  male Porn. No,  Jerome was not interested in me at all!

So much for the great light from the doorway. There was not enough light inside to make a photograph of the porn without a flash. Early on in those days I was just working with an off camera strobe. Now I have battery operated studio strobes.

Not only did I feel relaxed enough to photograph Jerome but he brought me into his world of men dealing with their sexuality.  The island had a subculture of transvestites, transexuals and male protitutes. This is a world that lived outside the vision of my catholic upbringing in the foothills of Appalachia.

Please check out my website for this project at http://www.marylou.us/chaos .  I also have a facebook presence at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Photographer-MaryLou-Uttermohlen/201723200603?ref=hl . This part of the project was made possible by an individual artist fellowhip of $5,000 from the State of Florida.