The last known speculative figures show 2,623 homeless people recorded in  in Vancouver in 2011.   We live in one of Canada's most expensive cities, and homelessness continues to be a major issue, despite the Mayor's pledge to completely eradicate homelessness by 2015. 

This sadly, doesn't seem likely or possible.  Even families and individuals who hold jobs can find themselves homeless, without a place they can afford to live.Those of us with loving family members who would take us in were we to hit hard times, face an illness or battle an addiction are the lucky ones. Many people don't have any family left to help them, or have family members who are economically challenged as well and unable to help them, or simply uncaring. Some have no choice but to sleep outdoors each night, directly on the street,  beneath an overpass or under whatever shelter they can find. Others couch surf, live in cars, or stay in crowded temporary shelters. 

I began this project in 2012. The first homeless gentleman I interviewed and photographed was John Anderson, who I passed almost every day outside of the Granville Sky train station in downtown Vancouver. After a number of conversations, I approached him with the idea of collaborating on a photographic project. Happily, he was interested, and agreed.

Over the course of approximately a 2 month period, I photographed John with 35mm black and white film, and also provided him with a disposable camera to document his own life. I felt it would be presumptuous of me to spend a relatively short period of time with him and assume that I could accurately represent the world through his eyes, so it became important to me to contrast my view ( the public's view in essence) of his existence, with his own view of his life.