Re:Imagine Homelessness

The purpose of this initiative is to shine light on the variety of reasons people have entered into a season of homelessness. For nearly a decade One Heart One Soul has traveled into homeless youth drop-in centers, transitional spaces, adult emergency shelters, domestic violence shelters and yes, even colleges and universities. What we learned was that there is not one cause for homelessness nor one face. In our Called to Create traveling workshops we’ve asked youth in shelters how they feel society views them to which they shared:

Dirty // Beggars // Lazy // Hopeless

So we started thinking, what would it look like if we helped society re:imagine homelessness to understand these are false descriptions? What if we shined a light on the other faces of homelessness and their journey, a journey that many can relate to. A journey that highlights seasons and maintains the integrity and beauty each person holds.

The following series of interviews and pieces were conducted by our UIC intern, Vanessa Villareal.

Through Eyes as a Youth: An interview with Zamari

It’s All About Seasons: An interview with Byron

A Single Mother's Love & Journey: An interview with Jennifer

Welcome to the Journey