Laura Sullivan - Senior Thesis - The Untold Stories

THE

untold

STORIES

THE UNTOLD STORIES LAURA BESS SULLIVAN SENIOR THESIS S P R I N G 2 0 2 0

THE UNTOLD STORIES

My name is Laura Bess Sullivan. I studied as a graphic design major at Troy University. I am originally from Birmingham, Alabama.

My passion branches to all forms of art and design but I specialize towards design and photography. I clarify myself as a creative problem solver. I began to pursue graphic design five years ago in the fall of 2015. Later on, I took a photography class two years into college, and fell in love with photographic imagery. As an artist,

I like to show my creative vision through my photographic work. I specialize in portrait and lifestyle photography that relates to all ages. I love showing the beauty in all stages of life. In design, I enjoy developing visual relationships between image and typography. My work defines my artistic vision and me as an individual. I strive to inspire others to follow their passion and dreams.

7

SULLIVAN

The Untold Stories project documents first hand a few stories from the homeless population in my hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. Through interacting directly with homeless individuals, I have become passionate and motivated to help bring light to my local community’s homeless epidemic. I want to change the public’s perception of people experiencing homelessness, and tell the untold stories of the survivors that are avoided. The public has created a stereotype that every homeless person is an addict

8

and assumes his or her stories.

I have created this book to share their stories and have their voices heard. No one chooses to be homeless.

Every homeless person has different circumstances. The stories of these people are rarely told or brought to the attention of the public. The citizens, who are under stable living conditions, tend to avoid the homeless and ignore the initial realization of the people living on the streets. People list homelessness as a global concern.

Half of the homeless populations

THE UNTOLD STORIES

were normal civilians living in stable homes. Some people were thrown on the streets because they could not afford all of the incoming medical bills after being sick in the hospital for weeks from surgery. Some were thrown out of their homes because the parents could not pay to support them. Each remarkable story needs to be told to bring light to this epidemic.

Through my photography and the production of this book, I can share the little things that can make an impact on helping the homeless population. At the

end of the book there is a Birmingham map showing some of the warm stations, shelters, thrift stores and soup kitchens marked for anyone who is searching for shelter/supplies or willing to volunteer or donate. It is the little things that can make an impact on this epidemic.

Just acknowledging a person living on the streets and having a simple conversation, taking him or her to get a hair cut or bringing them a dollar cheeseburger can make a difference.

9

SULLIVAN

WORK

10

THE UNTOLD STORIES

People declare homelessness as an epidemic, when they avoid the issue in their local community. The goal is to change the public’s perception of people experiencing homelessness. The homeless population of men and women are increasing each year globally. A Census Bureau collects the total amount of people living in the United States of America, including the homelessness and transitory living locations. The organization recognizes the homeless in different categories of situations as living with loved ones, in a car, on a bench, a shelter, or in a tent. The people who specifically count the homeless population are referred to as the ServiceBased Enumeration (SBE). The SBE will collect the count of people in shelters, soup kitchens, and target non-living outdoor locations. People of 75 percent are in emergency shelters or transitional housing programs. In 2018, the homeless population count in the United States was 553,000 people, which is .17 percent of the America’s population. One year later, in 2019, there was a 2.7 percent increase of 567,715 homeless people living on the streets of America. The largest populated locations for homelessness are New York City, New York and Malibu, California.

In California, 69 percent of the population is considered homeless. The 2019 Census,

there were 3,970 people homeless in the state of Alabama. In Birmingham, Alabama, there were 1,153 men and women homeless. The numbers are only increasing year by year. Half a million people are sleeping on the streets today. The citizens, who are under stable living conditions, tend to avoid the homeless and ignore the initial realization of the people living on the streets. People list “world hunger” as a global concern. The flaw is people try macro manage the issue, rather than micro managing. Micro managing the struggle of world hunger is by feeding the homeless people in the local community. Half of the homeless population was normal civilians living in stable homes. These people are categorized as homeless and are avoided and ignored by the local public. Many homeless civilians are embarrassed by their living arrangements and avoid social interactions with others. The desperation and humility takes over mentally, while also physically experiencing the meaning of real hunger effects a person in ways that are indescribable. The stories of these people are rarely told or brought to attention to the public. The people declare homelessness an economical issue, but seem to ignore the homeless people in their daily lives.

11

SBE COUNT

THE UNTOLD STORIES

2 0 1 7

united states 553,742

Alabama 3,793

birmingham 1,500

2 0 1 8

united states 552,830 Alabama 3,434

birmingham 1,342

2 0 1 9

united states 567,715

Alabama 3,261

birmingham 1,153

13

STREET

PHOTOGRAPHY

THE UNTOLD STORIES

Alex Alex is twenty years old and is originally from Chicago, Illinois. On 20th Street North, he was found sitting on the sidewalk with his twenty-four year old fiancé, Whitney. He moved to Birmingham, Alabama when he was a teenager with his uncle. When he was seventeen, his uncle stop financially supporting him and kicked him out on the streets. He met his fiancé a few months later in a soup kitchen. They became each other’s family to one another. He bought a grey rubber ring and proposed to her, after a year of living with each other. They plan on staying engaged because they cannot afford to get married. Since they are not officially married, if they go to a shelter they will be separated and would not be able to see one another. He said, “We try to stay

away from shelters because they will separate me and Whitney. All I want to do is protect her. She’s my family.” Even after all of the traumatic events, this couple is able to find happiness in each other. Alex has been on the streets, as a young adult, for three years now. From his experiences, he has learned that it is all about whom he approaches and how he would approach them. When he approaches “people with money,” he must approach them with a smile, and address them politely while speaking in a proper tone. When he approaches “people from the street,” he wants to appear to be a “hard-ass” and address them in a very stern way. He has to be the voice for him and Whitney, so he must be brave and fearless for the safety of both of them.

17

THE UNTOLD STORIES

Whitney Whitney is twenty-four years old and is originally from Birmingham, Alabama.

She was found with her fiancé, Alex, on 20th street north sitting next to a Family Dollar store on the sidewalk. Whitney was kicked out of her house by her mom at the age of twenty-one. Her mom kicked her out of the house because she had communicated with her dad. Her dad is sixty-three years old, and is not able to financially support Whitney.

Whitney’s dad is getting evicted and soon will be living on the streets too.

A month on the streets, she met Alex at a soup kitchen. Alex has become her family, friend, and protector. Alex stated, “Whitney says to me all the time

how much she just wants a girlfriend to talk to.” Whitney soon explains how lonely it is being a young girl living on the streets and having no friends to talk to. Whitney’s daily routine is just walking to different locations near stores and restaurants hoping people will help them. At nights, Whitney and Alex try to find shelter. The night before, they slept under a parking deck in thirty-two degree weather with only a thin blanket to cover her and Alex.

At the end of the interview, Whitney states that they will return to Project HOPE, a non-profit organization for the homeless, in the next few weeks.

19

SULLIVAN

20

THE UNTOLD STORIES

21

THE UNTOLD STORIES

Darryel

Darryle is seventy-four years old and is originally from Birmingham, Alabama. He was found walking down the sidewalk on second avenue north.

Mr. Darryle has been on a mission to collect twenty-five dollars to buy an identification card so he would be able to get hired by business. He has been on and off the streets for over a

year. Mr. Darryle was in prison for thirty years of his life. When he was released, he contained no money or support from loved ones. He has been on the streets all alone with nothing but a backpack and the clothes on his back. He wants to be able to work all day making money instead of walking the streets asking people for money.

23

SULLIVAN

24

THE UNTOLD STORIES

25

THE UNTOLD STORIES

Dave Dave is fifty-three years old and is originally from New York City. He was found walking on seventh avenue south, searing for a thrift store to get warmer clothes for protection from the cold wind. When Dave was first approached, the first two questions he asked were, “Do you know where the nearest thrift store is? I do not know where I am” and “Do you have any Vaseline?” Dave had scabs and blisters all over his face from the cold and windburn, and was in desperate need for ointment. Dave had been searching for a thrift store for three days. With his health conditions, it takes him longer than usual to travel on foot. Dave began telling his story of how he became homeless. After moving to Florida from New York, he found his wife and was married for thirty years. His wife passed away very suddenly and Dave decided to start fresh by moving to Birmingham, Alabama with two other

guys. A few months after moving, Dave was sent to the emergency room.

He had to have immediate open-heart surgery. After being in the hospital for two weeks, he was released to recover at home. During his time in recovery, his roommates were shooting up heroine and other drugs. Dave decided that he did not want to be in that environment any more and decided to leave. By not taking proper care of his body after a serious surgery, he was sent to the hospital again for a blood clot in his left leg. Dave was unable to pay for the medical bills pilling up.

Dave began living on the streets, and was officially “homeless.” Dave has been really been struggling walking on the streets everyday and sleeping in the cold with all of his medical conditions, because his body was never properly healed. His goal is to get off the streets and get his health back.

27

SULLIVAN

28

THE UNTOLD STORIES

29

SULLIVAN

30

THE UNTOLD STORIES

Berry Berry is fifty-eight years old and was found on the steps of Southside Baptist Church. Mr. Berry had two buckets tied together with rope to hold his personal items as he traveled. On March 27, 2020 at Southside Baptist, I was getting my graduation pictures taken by Kristen Pugh. During the photo shoot, I noticed an elderly man with two buckets around his neck.

The homeless man gently walked up, smiled at me and just observed the shoot from a distance. After the shoot, I noticed the he politely waited until we were done so he could sit down his things down for the night on the steps of the church. I was not planning on interviewing that day, but I could not help myself. I introduced myself and asked if he was staying at the church that night. Mr. Berry either stays at this church or a church a few blocks away. He says, “…It really depends on how much riff-raff is going on.” Berry has been on the streets for the majority of his life. He was in prison for thirty

years of his life, after being released he returned to being homeless. Berry then began to speak of his family, while becoming emotional of the passing of his parents. He took a long silent pause, but finished off by saying, “That’s life and I will just continue to pray about it.

Sometimes it’s hard to keep on going.”

At this point, my heart was shattered.

All I wanted to do was help in every way possible. Since I was not prepared for any interviews during my shoot, I only had a protein bar and a facemask to give him. During this time, the COVID-19 virus was spreading all through Birmingham. He seemed to have no knowledge of the contagious virus going around. I told him as much as I could about staying healthy by wearing the mask. At the end of our conversation, he told me not to worry and that he will be okay. The beginning of the day I thought I was just getting my graduation pictures taken, I did not know I was bound to meet Mr. Berry. I know it was fate that we met that day.

31

SULLIVAN

32

THE UNTOLD STORIES

33

SULLIVAN

34

THE UNTOLD STORIES

The Little Things • Donate to your local homeless

• Give a one dollar cheeseburger

shelter • Volunteer at a local soup

to a homeless person • Have extra supplies or blankets

kitchen

in your trunk in case for someone in need

• Donate clothes to thrift stores • Have a genuine conversation

• Call local homeless shelters to see if there is any thing they

• Give your leftovers to a person living on the streets • Take a homeless person to get their hair cut

might need •

Just acknowledging homeless people with a simple “good morning”

35

SULLIVAN

INTE

RSTA TE 65

ST

STA 20

TH

ER

24

INT 2N

D

AV

E

N

HWY 78

T 1S

AV

E

AR D P OA ION R L T I RA UNDA FO

N

PLASMAC K

UAB UNIVERSI H O S P I TA L

4T

H

AV

E

S

1

36

N

TE

Birmingham

H 0T

AV

E

S

THE UNTOLD STORIES

28

NORTH AVONDALE

TH ST N ME

E SS

R

AI

RP

O

HW RT

Y

1

ST

AV

E

N

CENTRAL CITY HWY 11

SLOSS FURNACE

BIRMINGHAM DISTRICT

Boutwell Auditorium Jessie’s Place Pathways Hospital

SOUTHSIDE AV H

S

AV

E

S

HIGHLAND PARK

Firehouse Ministries Southside Baptist Church

S

6T

E

ST

TH

TH

5

24

CARE

S T. V I N C E N T ’ S BIRMINGHAM

ITY

Parks

20 TH ST S

FIVE POINTS SOUTH

HWY 280

37

SULLIVAN

38

THE UNTOLD STORIES

39

SULLIVAN

The Untold Stories is documentary of stories in the homeless population from Birmingham, Alabama. The goal for this documentary is to change the public’s perception of people experiencing homelessness. These stories are rarely told and brought to attention. The citizens, who are under stable living conditions, tend to ignore the initial realization of the people living on the streets. People list “homelessness� as a global concern. The flaw is people try

40

macro manage the issue, rather than micro managing. Micro managing the issue of homelessness is by feeding the homeless people in the local communities. More than half of the homeless populations were normal civilians living in stable living conditions. The homeless people are avoided by the local public. These stories need to be told and their voices deserve to be heard.

-Laura Bess Sullivan